HE was a doting father, who had taken leave and planned to celebrate his little girl's fifth birthday at a McDonald's restaurant in two weeks' time.
But on Thursday night, a horrific car accident took his life, leaving his family in shock.
Mr Ng Wei Liang, 26, was on his way to meet a group of friends for a late-night supper at about 11.45pm in Geylang when the car he was in spun out of control and hit a tree along Guillemard Road.
His long-time buddy, Mr Kerk Teck Guan, 27, was also killed in the accident, which happened just metres away from the coffee shop where his friends were waiting.
Mr Ng was in the front passenger seat.
The impact of the collision was so great that both men were flung out of the car and Mr Kerk's arm was severed.
The vehicle also split into two, with the car engine and bonnet separated from the body.
The car engine burst into flames after the crash. The other half of the car was a crumpled wreck of metal.
Police said the two men sustained multiple injuries and were taken unconscious to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where they were pronounced dead at 1am yesterday.
Documents and items from the car were strewn along the road and pavement.
Mr Ng's wife, Mrs Angeline Ng, 26, an administrator, told The New Paper at his wake at Choa Chu Kang last night that her husband had called her from the car earlier and told her that he'd be back after supper at 1am.
'But shortly after, I got a call from one of his friends saying there had been an accident and that he was being rushed to the hospital,' she said.
It is understood that Mr Ng also owns a car. Three weeks ago, he had skidded on the expressway while driving because the roads were wet, and the car had been taken to a workshop.
She said she had broken the news of his death to their daughter, Reiane, 4.
Mrs Ng said: 'I told her that daddy is not going to be with us and that he's going to sleep for a very long time.
'She didn't believe me, and said I was bluffing. But she accepted it after she saw his body.'
It is believed that the friends were planning to eat frogs-leg porridge at a coffee shop in Geylang.
A Chinese national, 26, who works in the food industry, told Shin Min Daily News that he was nearby making a phone call when he heard the screeching sound of a car braking, followed by a loud bang.
The man, who wanted to known only as Mr Zhang, said when he turned around, he saw the car engine on fire and two men lying on the ground beside the car in a pool of blood.
Mr Zhang said he often saw cyclists along that stretch of road, and that after the crash, he had seen a bicycle stop by the side of the accident scene.
He was not sure if the driver of the car had been trying to avoid the cyclist.
Mr Kerk's uncle also revealed that at the time of the accident, one of his friends, who had been following behind in another car, had seen a cyclist approaching along the same road but against the traffic flow.
According to relatives who turned up yesterday morning at the mortuary, Mr Kerk and Mr Ng frequently had meals together.
Mr Ng was a salesman in Courts, while Mr Kerk was a car agent. They shared a passion for cars.
They also lived in the same Choa Chu Kang neighbourhood.
Mr Kerk had registered his marriage to his girlfriend, whom he had met eight years ago while studying, in July 2007.
His father works as a rag-and-bone man and he has a younger sister.
One of his uncles said that Mr Kerk and his wife had applied for a HDB flat in Punggol and were looking forward to holding their traditional Chinese wedding ceremony after getting the keys to their flat.
A manager at the company where MrKerk worked said he had been there for only a year but had proven himself as a helpful colleague. He also performed well at work.
A female cousin of Mr Kerk said he was a steady driver and did not speed as he liked to maintain his car in a good condition.
Families of both victims were visibly distraught when they turned up at the mortuary yesterday morning to identify the bodies.
Mr Kerk's mother was accompanied by about 10 relatives and she appeared agitated and inconsolable. When she entered the mortuary, her cries could be heard from outside.
When she emerged teary-eyed later, she was overheard asking an investigating officer why his arm had not been placed together with his body.
His friends who turned up declined to be interviewed.
A teary Mrs Ng told The New Paper last night: 'I like to tell my husband that I'll take good care of Reiane and that he can leave peacefully.'
- Additional reporting by Hedy Khoo
This article was first published in The New Paper on Oct 18, 2008.
