Just days before he was to celebrate his 60th birthday and Father's Day with his family, taxi driver Ong Kha Lee died after a freak accident.

On Tuesday evening, he had driven his taxi to the Premier Taxi headquarters in Changi South to fuel up, according to a Shin Min Daily News report on Thursday.

What happened next is still under police investigation. But it is believed that, while leaning out of his vehicle and attempting to insert his CashCard into a card reader, Mr Ong accidentally stepped on the accelerator.

The car lurched forward, trapping Mr Ong between the vehicle and a wall.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the incident at around 7.50pm.

Mr Ong was freed by the SCDF and taken to Changi General Hospital. He died in hospital the next day, three days before he would have turned 60.

His wife, Madam Christina Mak, 57, told Shin Min that she had cooked dinner and was waiting for him to get home when the company called with the news. She rushed to the hospital, but her husband was already brain dead.

Mr Ong also left behind two daughters, aged 25 and 30.

His older daughter, Marianne, told Shin Min he was a caring father who often spent time with them.

Mr Ong loved cycling, gardening and travelling. The couple went on an overseas holiday each year, and visited Suzhou and Hangzhou in March.

The family had planned to celebrate his birthday along with Father's Day this weekend, said Madam Mak.

Citing the ongoing police investigation, Premier Taxi reserved comment, but said it has extended its full support to the authorities.