They were waiting at a traffic light crossing when a pickup lorry hurtled towards them.

Mr Chan Tong Ming's only thought was to save his daughter. As the pickup ploughed into them, the 51-year-old used his body to shield 10-year-old Yi Shan from the impact.

He lost consciousness with his arms still tightly wrapped around her and died in hospital a few hours later.

Mr Chan's wife could only watch, helpless and horrified, and the tragedy unfolded before her at around 5pm on Sunday.

Madam Chan Kah Noi, 42, a housewife, escaped with only minor shoulder injuries as she was standing a short distance away from her husband and daughter.

They had been standing at the T-junction of Toa Payoh Lorong 1 and Lorong 6.

She told The New Paper at her husband's wake at Block 227, Toa Payoh Lorong 8, last night: 'The three of us were waiting to cross the road at the traffic lights.

'Yi Shan was standing next to her father while I stood nearby under a tree for shade.

'Suddenly, a van sped crazily towards us. Instinctively, my husband put his arms around my daughter.

'It all happened so fast. In a split second, the van had mounted the kerb and my husband was knocked down. There was blood everywhere.'

The family were heading from their Toa Payoh home to Junction 8 mall for dinner. It was their weekly routine, said Madam Chan.

Mr Chan was rushed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital with severe head injuries and a broken right leg.

Madam Chan said his heart stopped three times at the hospital. He couldn't be revived and died around 8pm.

Yi Shan was warded overnight for injuries to her forehead and left leg.

The pickup driver, a man in his early 30s, suffered a cut above his right eye and was taken to the Singapore General Hospital.

Yi Shan did not know about her father's death until she was discharged yesterday afternoon.

Said Madam Chan: 'We didn't have the heart to tell her on Sunday. The two of them were so close.

'When I finally told her, she kept repeating, 'Mum, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'm fine.' She tried so hard to be brave and not cry.

'Then when we got home and she saw her father's coffin, she couldn't hold back the tears anymore and broke down.'

Madam Chan said Yi Shan was the apple of her father's eye.

'Yi Shan cannot sleep if her daddy is not there next to her every night. She would always crawl into bed with us and snuggle up to her dad,' she said.

The couple also have a son, Hao Yang, 13, who was at a friend's home at the time of the accident.

When The New Paper visited the family at the wake last night, both children appeared calm as they knelt next to their father's coffin, quietly burning paper offerings.

Yi Shan's left leg was still bandaged and she walked with a slight limp.

Halfway through the interview, she came over and hugged her mother, who could barely hold back her tears.

Talking about her husband of 15 years, she broke down several times.

'He was a perfect husband and father. Although we couldn't afford luxurious holidays abroad, he would always make it a point to spend weekends with the family, taking the kids out to shopping malls for meals.

'He was truly a family man who would often help me buy groceries at the market.'

Mr Chan took home about $2,000 every month as a logistics assistant with the Republic of Singapore Air Force which he has been with for more than 30 years.

The family have not yet told Madam Chan's mother about the tragedy as they are afraid it would be too big a blow for the elderly woman in her 80s.

Said Madam Chan: 'We have dinner with her every weekend, so we know she will be heartbroken if she finds out.

'We'll tell her eventually when everything is more settled.'

The initial anger she felt towards the driver has given way to a deep sense of loss and grief.

'What's the use of feeling angry? It was an accident. What can we do? What's done is done,' she said.

Her husband's death has left her lost and desperate.

She said in tears: 'He has been the sole breadwinner for the past 10years. I've not worked for so long. I don't know what I'm going to do now.

'What am I going to do?'

The police are investigating the accident. Witnesses should call the Traffic Police hotline on 1800-547-1818.