Family mourn e-scooter rider who died in fall
He was loved by family, friends and colleagues
No one knows how Mr Sam Koh, 23,fell off his electric scooter (e-scooter).
Not even his two scootering companions that night, who were ahead of the 23-year-old at the time of the accident, in which he fell on his head and later died.
Both men, who looked to be in their 20s, were some of the first few to arrive at Mr Koh's wake at about 3.30pm yesterday.
One was seen wiping his tears away at a corner of the multipurpose space near Mr Koh's home at Jalan Tiga, off Old Airport Road.
The other said quietly: "We don't know what happened. There were no witnesses around."
Not that it matters to Mr Koh's mother Oh Joo Poh, 51, now.
Sobbing softly, the housewife said in Mandarin: "Knowing what happened can't bring him back to life anymore."
Recounting her emotional roller coaster in the past two days, Madam Oh said she had expected minor injuries when she heard about the accident at about 2am on Saturday.
That composure turned to shock when she saw her son lying in the hospital bed unconscious.
She prayed fervently, hoping he would wake up from the coma.
When he died from his injuries a day later, Madam Oh struggled to come to terms with it.
"(Sam) was supposed to take care of us when we grow older... Now we are sending him off instead," she said, before crying again.
Wiping her tears, Madam Oh said: "I know (my son) won't want to see me like this."
She recalled Mr Koh taking her and her husband out for dinner when it was their birthdays.
"That's how sweet he was to his family," she said.
Miss Goh Eng Joo, 23, who had been in a relationship with Mr Koh for 7½ years, agreed.
CARING
She conceded having to play the middleman when Mr Koh and Madam Oh had one of their tiffs but stressed that her boyfriend cared for the family "in his own little ways".
"He's the kind of person who doesn't like to say it, but he really cares for his family a lot.
"He knows how to take care of people," said Miss Goh, who met Mr Koh in secondary school.
The number of lives he made a difference to was evident from the crowd that turned up at the hospital to visit him while he was unconscious, she said.
"It's hard to estimate the number of people who turned up. People were streaming in and out of the ward the whole day," she said.
The couple had plans to apply for a flat near his Mountbatten home.
She said: "I feel a little empty. We've been together for so long."
The loss felt by Mr Koh's loved ones was also felt by his colleagues at PassionGadgets.
Everyone working at the shop was fond of Mr Koh because of his jovial and helpful nature, said PassionGadgets boss Ryan Tan, 30.
When the company first ventured into the e-scooter market, Mr Koh was there putting in extra hours to figure out how the devices worked and how to repair them.
"Sam is always very busy at the shop. Everyone comes to the shop looking for him. He plays a very important role in our lives," said Mr Tan.
Mr Tan said: "When I first heard about the accident, I didn't want to believe it.
"On the night before the accident, he said goodbye to us as usual before he left. That was it. He really left.
"We are trying to accept the news. We have to accept the fact that he's not here with us today," Mr Tan said quietly.
The cortege will leave for Choa Chu Kang Cemetery tomorrow.
Explaining the decision for a burial, Madam Oh said: "(My son) once said cremation is very cruel."
PassionGadgets will be closed that day to allow its staff to send Mr Koh off on his final journey.
Mr Tan said: "He was well liked and he loved being around people. It's the least we could do for him."
He's the kind of person who doesn't like to say it, but he really cares for his family a lot.
- Long-time girlfriend Miss Goh Eng Joo on Mr Sam Koh
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