Father of girl in Woodlands crash passes on donations to other family

Mr Eric Tan had received an outpouring of donations to cover medical expenses for his daughter Lovelynn. PHOTOS: FACEBOOK

The father of an eight-year-old girl, who was injured in a Woodlands car crash and recently woke up from a coma, has donated money he received from well-meaning Singaporeans to the family of another accident victim.

Mr Eric Tan, 45, received an outpouring of donations to cover medical expenses for his daughter Lovelynn, who was flung out of a van in a road accident last month.

The girl woke up on Tuesday after 11 days in a coma. She is warded at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, where Mr Tan and his wife have been keeping vigil.

Lovelynn was one of four people injured in the accident involving a van, driven by her uncle, and a red Audi car in Woodlands Avenue 12, just after 8pm on Oct 23. She had a head injury, broke both legs and needed emergency surgery.

According to Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao, Mr Tan, while worrying about Lovelynn, came across another news article about 15-year-old Crest Secondary School student Huang Junyong, who died from injuries after getting hit by a car while crossing the road in Queensway on Oct 27.

The boy's mother, Ms Chen, a 40-year-old cashier, is a single mother who raised Junyong and his older brother.

Mr Tan said: "Our children have all experienced serious car accidents, but my daughter is more fortunate and has received care and help from many people. After seeing Ms Chen's news, I decided to give part of the donation (to her family) in my daughter's name."

He did not disclose the amount he gave.

In an update on Facebook on Thursday, Mr Tan said Lovelynn was on the long road to recovery as she had sustained multiple injuries.

She is awake but in an "uncommunicative state", he said, adding that the doctor said her memory and brain-responsive system were affected by a blood clot.

She will have casts for about 15 weeks, and her legs "may take as long as three to six months to fully heal", he said. "In addition, she was unable to swallow and has to receive nutrition through a feeding tube for an estimated 12 weeks."

Eight-year-old Lovelynn Tan, who was flung out of a van in a road accident last month, woke up on Tuesday after 11 days in a coma. Her father Eric Tan said he received an outpouring of donations to cover her medical bills, and decided to give some of the money to student Huang Junyong's family, after he died in a road accident on Oct 27. PHOTO: ERIC.TANSP/ FACEBOOK

Mr Tan, who works in the transport sector, said on Wednesday that he would be deactivating his PayNow account to stop accepting donations. He did not reveal how much had been collected.

Thanking his friends, private organisations, temples and members of the public for their contributions, he said: "Every donation is carefully recorded and listed to ensure that it will be used for Lovelynn's hospitalisation bills and treatment costs. The remaining donations will be given to charities, in my daughter's name. I wish to spread the love and continue to pass this on to those in need."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on November 08, 2020, with the headline Father of girl in Woodlands crash passes on donations to other family. Subscribe