Lauded for helping man in wheelchair cross road

A split-second decision on the road has seen Mr David Chin, 41, become the subject of a viral online video, as well as a recipient of the Public Spiritedness Award last Friday.

Recounting the incident, Mr Chin said that he was driving home in pouring rain after picking up his 11-year-old daughter from ballet class on Sept 5. At a traffic junction, he saw an elderly man in a wheelchair struggling to cross the road.

The green lights at the crossing were already flashing but the man, who looked about 70, had barely made it halfway across.

He had an umbrella over his shoulder, which impeded his manoeuvring of the wheelchair.

"He could not move. He was really struggling," said Mr Chin, who works in sales.

"I put the blinkers (hazard lights) on, unbuckled my seat belt and went over to help him. There wasn't time to tell my wife (who was also in the car), and she asked me what I was doing."

He pushed the man to safety before returning to his car and did not think twice about the incident.

Unknown to him, his act was captured on a video, which has been shared more than 6,000 times.

Uploaded by a stranger, the video on Facebook attracted the attention of the Traffic Police, who last Friday commended Mr Chin's efforts with the Public Spiritedness Award plaque.

Mr Chin told the media that he has three children aged 11, 10 and seven, and that he places a heavy emphasis on "empathy" in their upbringing.

Since last year, his family has dedicated about two hours of their time on Sundays to deliver food to the elderly in Ang Mo Kio.

They took a break at the start of the circuit breaker but Mr Chin, together with his eldest daughter, resumed the routine in May.

He said: "The objective is to get the kids to learn empathy not by textbooks but through action. We block out Sundays to do something meaningful for the community."