Boy, 12, who helped accident victims, gets SCDF award
Boy receives award for helping road accident victims
When a 12-year-old boy went to help victims involved in a road accident, he did not expect to become a celebrity overnight.
His good deed, which went viral on Facebook after his sister posted about it, caught the attention of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), which felt he deserved to be recognised for his actions.
Yesterday, Yishun Primary School pupil Ashvin Gunasegaran received the SCDF's Public Spiritedness Award at the 3rd SCDF Division Headquarters in Yishun. He is the youngest recipient of the award since its introduction in the early 1990s.
"You are never too young to be somebody who renders a helping hand," said 3rd SCDF Division commander Lieutenant-Colonel Eric Chua, who presented Ashvin with the award. "I'm very happy that Ashvin had stepped forward and let his heart of gold shine through."
Though overwhelmed by his sudden fame, telling his sister, Miss Laavanya Gunasegaran, that "he could not keep up", Ashvin nevertheless felt "heroic".
He said: "I thought it would be a normal day, but everyone started calling me a hero."
Ashvin was walking home from remedial classes with his friends on Tuesday when two cars collided at the junction of Yishun Avenue 2 and Yishun Ring Road.
A crowd soon gathered at the scene, but no one stepped up to check on the victims. Instead of offering help, some passers-by simply used their mobile phones to take photos and videos of the scene.
Ashvin decided to act, and found that one driver, a pregnant woman, was injured and trapped because her door was jammed.
Though he could not open the door, he remained with her until an ambulance arrived and took her to KK Women's and Children's Hospital.
The other driver, who was unhurt, turned out to be a female SCDF officer with the 3rd SCDF Division.
Ashvin said the experience has taught him not to be shy when he sees someone in need of help. His mother, Madam Helen Louisa, 50, who was surprised by the award, said: "I'm just amazed and proud that my little boy tries to help others without thinking. It might be a small act, but it means a lot to me."
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