My Opinion: 2 boys killed in accident in Tampines, truck driver arrested.

According to The Straits Times

"TWO brothers were killed in a gruesome traffic accident in Tampines earlier on Monday, 28 January 2013.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it had received a call at around 5:43pm, and that the boys died after being hit by a truck at the junction of Tampines Ave 9 and Tampines St 45. The 13-year-old male cyclist and the 7-year-old male pillion were pronounced dead at scene by paramedics.
The younger boy was found in the uniform of Tampines North Primary School.
Police said that the 56-year-old Singaporean male driver of the truck was arrested at the scene."

Yahoo News article: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/two-boys-die-in-truck-accident-in-tampines-130838678.html

My family and I were on our way back from work when we heard the tragic news from the radio. It was not just one child getting killed, but two. And they were knocked down by a cement truck. That gigantic mega-ton vehicle! I cringed inwardly at how painful the impact must have been. At the same time, I can't help but feel utmost sympathy for the family of the deceased. Were the two boys their only sons? How would they react to this? I hope they will be able to pull through this!

My mum's first reaction was: "What a bad hearted driver! Deserves nothing but the worst!" While I emphatised with the family of the deceased, I could not agree with her that the driver was "bad hearted". If anything, I do not think anyone with a sane mind would like to knock down two young children's lives. Yes he could be rash, absent-minded and deserving of punishment but to call him bad-hearted like many netizens online? I do not think that is justifiable. Our society seems quick to dash and victimise one party while condemning the other to death. Nothing is ever so black and white, and it saddens me that people would be so rash in their judgment. What if it were the two boys who beat the traffic light? What if they went against their parents' wishes to cycle?

And then there's those people who chose to post photos of the incident online. I have yet to see it and I don't think I will want to, judging from how people have remarked that splattered brains could be seen. For those people circulating the photos, please put yourself in the shoes of the deceased parents! How would you like to see your beloved children's dead bodies circulated around the internet? Their tragic death is already such a huge blow to the parents and yet they must now face the fact that their friends, neighbours, family, co-workers will be able to see how horrid a death their children faced. It's a double painful blow.

In conclusion, tragic deaths are painful. Tragic deaths are especially painful if it's your loved ones who are involved. But life is transcient. Life is fragile. I can only hope that the deceased's family would be stronger after this. It is indeed terrible that such a death occured but it has occured. We -and they- can only move on from this. Every dark cloud has a silver lining. Perhaps it is fate that these two boys are given back to the heavens. I don't know. All I know is we must treasure the people we love around us more, because incidents like this just shows us how limited our time is on this planet.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this matter so do comment.

May peace, health and happiness be with you

That WhimsicalBlogger!