Segamat.com

From AsiaOne
Augt 9, 2010

HE RECEIVED a phone call in the morning saying his wife was in an accident. And when technician Zeng Ching Wei, 34, reached the accident site in Segamat, Johor Bahru, he had a bad feeling when he saw a fire engine.

Then, looking at the mangled wreck of his wife's car, he rushed up to a rescue worker extricating the victims. The rescuer looked at Mr Zeng, shook his head in regret and said: "No more."

Mr Zeng's wife, 31-year-old Cheng Lee Sei who was eight months pregnant, was one of two teachers killed in a two-car collision on Thursday near Jalan Batu Enam. Madam Cheng, who was driving a Perodua Viva, and one of her passengers, Miss Lee Peng Ling, 34, who was in the rear seat, died instantly in the 7am accident.

Another teacher who was in the front passenger seat, Ms Sia Yoke Peng, 27, suffered serious injuries. She was transferred from the Segamat Hospital to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital. Her condition was reported to be critical.

Was driver speeding? Mr Huang Kaiwen, the driver of the other car, a Kia Spectra, survived the accident. The 31-year-old was warded at Segamat Hospital with a fractured leg before he was transferred to a private hospital in Malacca, reported The Star.

Segamat police chief, Superintendent Majid Ali, told the New Straits Times that Mr Huang, who was travelling from Gemas, was allegedly speeding and lost control of his vehicle before it collided with the Perodua.

Mr Zeng told Guang Ming Daily that he and Madam Cheng were expecting their third child. They have two children, a 4-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter. Mr Zeng said it was his wife's routine to leave their house as early as 6am to send the children to a childcare centre and her mother's house before picking up Miss Lee, Ms Sia and a male colleague.

He had found out later that the male teacher was not among the passengers that morning as he had to attend a course. He said he first heard the news about the accident after receiving a phone call from one of his wife's colleagues at 7.10am. He thought that it was a minor accident and that his wife would be fine. "When I reached the scene, I saw a fire engine there and had a bad feeling," said Mr Zeng.

Mr Zeng said he would sometimes wake up to help his wife get their children ready for school. "I had slept a bit later the night before and was still half-asleep when I heard my wife waking the kids up and then closing the door when they left," said Mr Zeng.

"My biggest regret is that I never got to say goodbye to my wife."

He added his wife often reminded him to be extra careful while travelling along the stretch where the accident happened, as it was an accident-prone spot.