THE father of the kindergarten boy found dead after being left in a school van in Taman Bukit Indah, Johor, yesterday has expressed his disappointment over the negligence of the driver and management of the kindergarten involved.
Teo Jia, 37, said that due to the negligence of others he lost his only child, Yu Zie, five.
Teo, who works in Singapore said he received the tragic news at around 1pm after the kindergarten teacher called him to go to the hospital immediately.
“The teacher called and told me and my wife to rush to a private hospital near our house because our child was facing an emergency.
"When I arrived, I saw my son lying stiff, weak and not breathing, the doctors said they had done everything they could to save my son's life," he said as reported by Kosmo!
Teo said that before the incident, the 57-year-old van driver fetched his son from his residence in Taman Bukit Indah at about 7.15am.
He said that usually the school van would arrive at the kindergarten which is located two kilometres from his home at around 8.15am.
“I found out that after arriving, the van driver would drop the children at school and would leave the van near the kindergarten before returning home on a motorbike.
“Maybe my child was asleep at that time, the van driver might not have noticed, then suddenly at noon he found my child dead at the door of the van ... maybe he wanted to get out but couldn’t.
"I'm disappointed, the van driver should have checked properly and made sure all the children got off before they could close the doors or go back.
"The kindergarten is also negligent, they should have checked the attendance and if the child is missing, contact the family and ask where the child is," he said.
He said he had been sending his child to the same kindergarten for the past three years.
He said that two years ago, he or his wife would send his child to the kindergarten themselves, but since the middle of last year, he has been using the school van.
Teo hopes the police will conduct a thorough investigation and take appropriate action against those responsible.
He also said he does not want anyone else to suffer the same fate as him.
The deceased Yu Zie will be buried at the Nirvana Memorial Park Christian Cemetery in Masai, Pasir Gudang. - May 1, 2025
