Bus accident aftermath: A guy left paralysed, another guy lost his arm 
Oct 13 2010, 07:48 AM, updated 16y ago
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He may never again play the game he loves
MALACCA: His passion is basketball and Tan Giin Rong played for his former school SMK Gajah Berang before continuing his love for the game as a player for Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman where he studies.
Now, all the 18-year-old can hope for is to sit upright after becoming paralysed from the waist down due to a serious spinal injury suffered during the horrific bus crash along the North-South Expressway that killed 12 people.
Tan, who started his mechanical engineering course five months ago, was transferred from the Malacca Hospital yesterday afternoon to undergo surgery at the Mahkota Medical Centre here scheduled for today.
Despite being aware of her son’s predicament, his mother, Yong Siew Yen, 45, remains hopeful that the surgery would at least give her son some mobility to his lower back.
“I was told he will never be able to use his legs again and that the surgery would at least allow him to sit upright,” said the pharmaceutical product promoter.
“I hope that the surgery will be successful so that he will not be totally bedridden for the rest of his life.”
Tan was rushed to the Malacca Hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) and was deemed stable to undergo the surgery by doctors.
Yong described Tan as a filial son who would bring his friends to meet the family during his fortnightly trip home at Taman Merdeka Jaya in Batu Berendam, and said Tan’s siblings were equally devastated by the news.
A former classmate Ian Choo, 18, said that Tan is a jovial and active person who loves playing basketball.
“He was very active in school and even represented our school in the basketball team.
“He continued to play even after enrolling in TAR college and succeeded in making the college basketball team recently,” he said after visiting a still-unconscious Tan at the private medical centre yesterday.
Testimony of Tan’s friendly personality is evident from the hundreds of messages posted on his Facebook wall wishing him a speedy recovery.
Furniture shop staff Lee Han Wei, 28, whose left arm was amputated due to the accident, said the most important thing for him was to be alive.
“This was my fourth accident in the past 10 years. I escaped everytime,” he said, adding that he chose to face his predicament with an optimistic attitude.
The men seated beside and behind him both died in the crash, he said.
However, Lee, who had just finished talking to his girlfriend on his handphone when the accident occurred, said he would not be travelling on express buses anymore.
“Within two seconds, my left arm was crushed under the window and I couldn’t move,” he said, adding that firemen helped him out of the bus 30 minutes later.
MALACCA: His passion is basketball and Tan Giin Rong played for his former school SMK Gajah Berang before continuing his love for the game as a player for Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman where he studies.
Now, all the 18-year-old can hope for is to sit upright after becoming paralysed from the waist down due to a serious spinal injury suffered during the horrific bus crash along the North-South Expressway that killed 12 people.
Tan, who started his mechanical engineering course five months ago, was transferred from the Malacca Hospital yesterday afternoon to undergo surgery at the Mahkota Medical Centre here scheduled for today.
Despite being aware of her son’s predicament, his mother, Yong Siew Yen, 45, remains hopeful that the surgery would at least give her son some mobility to his lower back.
“I was told he will never be able to use his legs again and that the surgery would at least allow him to sit upright,” said the pharmaceutical product promoter.
“I hope that the surgery will be successful so that he will not be totally bedridden for the rest of his life.”
Tan was rushed to the Malacca Hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) and was deemed stable to undergo the surgery by doctors.
Yong described Tan as a filial son who would bring his friends to meet the family during his fortnightly trip home at Taman Merdeka Jaya in Batu Berendam, and said Tan’s siblings were equally devastated by the news.
A former classmate Ian Choo, 18, said that Tan is a jovial and active person who loves playing basketball.
“He was very active in school and even represented our school in the basketball team.
“He continued to play even after enrolling in TAR college and succeeded in making the college basketball team recently,” he said after visiting a still-unconscious Tan at the private medical centre yesterday.
Testimony of Tan’s friendly personality is evident from the hundreds of messages posted on his Facebook wall wishing him a speedy recovery.
Furniture shop staff Lee Han Wei, 28, whose left arm was amputated due to the accident, said the most important thing for him was to be alive.
“This was my fourth accident in the past 10 years. I escaped everytime,” he said, adding that he chose to face his predicament with an optimistic attitude.
The men seated beside and behind him both died in the crash, he said.
However, Lee, who had just finished talking to his girlfriend on his handphone when the accident occurred, said he would not be travelling on express buses anymore.
“Within two seconds, my left arm was crushed under the window and I couldn’t move,” he said, adding that firemen helped him out of the bus 30 minutes later.
I hope someone is held accountable to this. Many of those lost or injured are young people. These people have bright future awaiting them.
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