“Every time I walk past Yi Shu’s BTO, I look at it and think, this could have been his life. But he was robbed of it.”
— Alex Ng, elder brother of Ng Yi Shu
That one line already hurts enough. But the reality behind it? Much worse.
There are no more replies from Yi Shu.
No more texts.
No more quick jokes.
No more “ok lah, later I call you.”
He cannot walk.
He cannot communicate.
He doesn’t even respond when someone calls his name.
His body is here, but the young man everyone loved — the cheerful, loud, always-ready-to-help guy — is trapped inside, unable to come back out.
The Crash That Changed Everything
On 24 March 2023, auxiliary police officer Ng Yi Shu, then 28, was on duty at Tuas Checkpoint. It was supposed to be a normal shift. Same uniform, same responsibility, same purpose: keep people safe.
But in one split second, everything collapsed.
A car driven by Yoong Kok Kai, then 42, came speeding towards the observation post after he lost control of his Lexus. The impact was so violent that it uprooted the safety bollard, the gantry, the barrier — even the traffic light.
Imagine the force needed to rip all that out of the ground. Now imagine being a human standing behind those things for protection.
Yi Shu ran behind the bollard and gantry, hoping they would shield him.
They didn’t.
The crash left him with severe traumatic brain injuries and multiple facial fractures. He survived, but the life he knew ended on that very spot.
Twelve Surgeries. Endless Heartache.
In just three months, he went through 12 major operations. Today, he lives permanently in a nursing home in Jurong West, bed-bound and in a vegetative state.
He is only in his late 20s.
His 64-year-old father quit his job as a freelance driver to become his caregiver. Every morning, he travels to the nursing home and stays the whole day. He massages his son’s legs. He cleans his face. He talks to him even though there’s no reply. He eats lunch beside his son, hoping he feels less alone.
This is love. But it is also heartbreak, repeated daily.
A Family’s Future, Ripped Away
When the crash happened, the family could barely recognise him. And honestly, they still struggle.
Yi Shu used to be the one who brightened the room. Funny, optimistic, easygoing — the kind of guy everyone wanted as a friend.
He and his girlfriend of five years were getting ready to pick up their new BTO keys in Boon Lay. They were supposed to plan their renovation, argue about tiles, get married, start a family, and build the kind of future young Singaporean couples dream of.
Now?
Those dreams are gone.
His girlfriend continued texting him for months, sending him messages as though he could read them, hoping maybe one day he would reply.
But no reply came. And no reply ever will.
Eventually, the family told her it’s okay for her to let go. She deserved a future too — a real one, not one stuck in grief.
Letting go doesn’t mean she loved him less. It means life forced her hand.
Meanwhile, the Driver Walks Away Far Easier
Yoong was sentenced to 5 years in jail. After that, he can pick up his life again.
But for Yi Shu and his family, the “sentence” is forever.
Their suffering didn’t end at the court. Their suffering restarts every morning.
A Pain With No Expiry Date
The crash on 24 March 2023 was just one moment in time. But the consequences will last until the last days of those who loved him.
Every day is another reminder of what was taken.
Another reminder of the life that could have been.
Another reminder that fairness doesn’t always show up.
For Yi Shu, the tragedy didn’t just strike once — it continues, hour by hour, breath by breath.
And for his family, every visit, every memory, and every silent room is a constant echo of the son, brother, partner, and friend that they lost — even though he is still physically here.
A whole future erased in seconds. A lifetime of pain left behind.
Senseless. Heartbreaking. And absolutely preventable.
