The minister met with the family of the victim and assured the cabby's daughter, Stephanie Cheng, that she no longer has to worry about paying for her university education, reported The Straits Times.
He posted on his Facebook saying: "I assured them that the eldest daughter can go to University if she qualifies and need not worry about money.
"I also assured Mrs Cheng that we will help them by raising funds and that they don't need to worry about their HDB flat. In addition I intend to get a lawyer to help them make a claim."
Stephanie had previously told The New Paper that she has to put her university dreams on hold while she supports the family. She is the eldest of three children and her father was the family's sole breadwinner.
She had recently graduated from Nanyang Polytechnic with a Diploma in Food Science and Nutrition.
She has two younger brothers, Dao Han, 19, a second year student in Anderson Junior College and Dao Long, 17, a Secondary 5 student in Yishun Town Secondary School.
He also told The Straits Times that he and his grassroots leaders will do everything they can to help the family.
He added that an aid package is being put together to help with the needs of the family for the long-run, including their HDB flat. The details will be worked out with the family.
The wake is being held at Block 306, Canberra Road.
On Saturday, a Ferrari that was driven by 31-year-old Chinese businessman Ma Chi crashed into the taxi that was driven by Mr Cheng when it ran a red light, causing the taxi to hit a passing motorcycle.
The accident claimed the lives of Mr Ma, Mr Cheng and his passenger Ms Shigemi Ito. The motorcyclist, Mr Muhammad Najib and the passenger in the Ferrari, Ms Wu Wei Wei survived the accident.
Cabby's death dashes daughter's uni hopes
She dreamt of going to university and graduating with a degree.
Now it seems the hopes of Stephanie Cheng, 21, might have been abruptly dashed - at least for the foreseeable future.
Her cabby father's sudden death in a horrific traffic accident at Bugis last Saturday morning has left the family without a breadwinner.
As the eldest of three children, Miss Cheng, who had just graduated from polytechnic, may now have to put her dreams on hold to find a job to support the family.
Video footage of the accident showed that Mr Cheng Teck Hock, 52, was pulling out of Rochor Road after the lights turned green when a Ferrari moving along Victoria Street slammed into his taxi.
The Ferrari driver died on the spot, and Mr Cheng's female Japanese passenger died soon after.
The cabby, who was warded in the Intensive Care Unit of Tan Tock Seng Hospital, died at 7pm on Sunday.
Miss Cheng, who had just graduated from Nanyang Polytechnic with a Diploma in Food Science And Nutrition, had wanted to further her education.
"Stephanie used to pay her own school fees by being a part-time tutor," said her cousin, Miss Stella Tan, 23.
"She would have liked to proceed to university. But given the current situation, we'll need to see how."
The family of five lives in a five-room flat in Sembawang and Mr Cheng was the sole breadwinner.
Another of Miss Cheng's cousins, who is in his 30s and wanted to be known only as Mr Lim, said that Mr Cheng and his wife, Madam Lim Choo Eng, 49, used to own a seafood business in a wet market more than a decade ago.
They would work from early in the morning till late at night daily.
Exhaustion
It eventually led to an episode when Madam Lim fainted and was hospitalised for exhaustion.
"Times were hard, and the business was not doing well, so she became a housewife and he became a taxi driver," Mr Lim explained.
To help Miss Cheng achieve her dream of going to university, Mr Cheng would even work on his rest days and take up longer hours, he added.
"But he was a very careful driver. Despite wanting to earn more, he would take a break whenever he was tired," Mr Lim said.
Miss Tan added that the couple had wanted a good upbringing for their kids, to watch them grow up and to stand by them always.
Now that Mr Cheng has passed on, the burden of being the sole breadwinner will almost certainly fall on Miss Cheng's shoulders.
"With this sort of financial situation, it might be a bit hard for them to proceed with their studies," said Mr Lim.
"It might be heavier on Stephanie, since her brothers are still schooling, but she has graduated."
The close-knit family has been together since Saturday, after they got the grim news at 1pm that Mr Cheng had been admitted to hospital.
"We called all our relatives from both our paternal and maternal sides to go to the hospital," said Miss Cheng's brother, Dao Han, 19.
Dao Han is a Year 2 student in Anderson Junior College and Dao Long, 17, a Secondary 5 student at Yishun Town Secondary School. (See report on facing page.)
"I will miss his caring nature the most. He never really expressed it in words, but more in terms of actions," said Dao Han of his father.
"When he came back from work, he would watch us when we were sleeping.
"My father only got an O-level certificate, so he can't really help us with our (home)work. But he's Chinese-educated, so if we have problems with Chinese, we could seek his help."
Miss Tan said that since her uncle worked the night shift, he was always out at work when his children came home from school.
They would see him only on weekends.
She said: "They were all busy with exams, and the focus on bonding was minimal. So they are really very sad."
She said Mr Cheng showed a strong will to live, despite his injuries.
"He was supposed to go on the first day, but the nurses told us, 'Your uncle's will is too strong, he doesn't want to leave too early,'" she said.
She felt that his desire to make up for lost time was what kept him alive that bit longer.
"Before he was admitted, he never saw his children, so no last words were said," said Miss Tan.
Dao Han added: "On the day before the accident, none of us actually saw him. The next time we saw him was when he was lying in the hospital."
The family is coping for now, with support from their kin.
"My mother broke down at times, but now she's staying calm. We told her to stay strong and that we would all support each other," said Dao Han.
He said that his sister was very emotional and would cry when she recalled how their father had cared for her.
Quiet person
"My younger brother (Dao Long) never shows anything, as he's a naturally quiet person. I've recommended him to see his school counsellors if he needs to," said Dao Han.
The family has received many anonymous calls and messages of condolences, with some people offering to send money electronically to their bank account.
Dao Han said that while the family appreciates the offers, "it is hard to track down who contributed through electronic transfers".
"We would really like to acknowledge them personally," he said.
Miss Tan added: "We also want anyone who can give an account of the accident to give us the truth, and give us some closure."
The police are investigating the cause of the accident. Witnesses are helping with the investigation, and any person with additional information which might be relevant to the case can call 1800-547-1818.
All evidence, including CCTV footage, will be thoroughly reviewed.
To help Miss Cheng achieve her dream of going to university, Mr Cheng would even work on his rest days and take up longer hours, he added.
"But he was a very careful driver. Despite wanting to earn more, he would take a break whenever he was tired," Mr Lim said.
Miss Tan added that the couple had wanted a good upbringing for their kids, to watch them grow up and to stand by them always.
Now that Mr Cheng has passed on, the burden of being the sole breadwinner will almost certainly fall on Miss Cheng's shoulders.
"With this sort of financial situation, it might be a bit hard for them to proceed with their studies," said Mr Lim.
"It might be heavier on Stephanie, since her brothers are still schooling, but she has graduated."
The close-knit family has been together since Saturday, after they got the grim news at 1pm that Mr Cheng had been admitted to hospital.
"We called all our relatives from both our paternal and maternal sides to go to the hospital," said Miss Cheng's brother, Dao Han, 19.
Dao Han is a Year 2 student in Anderson Junior College and Dao Long, 17, a Secondary 5 student at Yishun Town Secondary School. (See report on facing page.)
"I will miss his caring nature the most. He never really expressed it in words, but more in terms of actions," said Dao Han of his father.
"When he came back from work, he would watch us when we were sleeping.
"My father only got an O-level certificate, so he can't really help us with our (home)work. But he's Chinese-educated, so if we have problems with Chinese, we could seek his help."
Miss Tan said that since her uncle worked the night shift, he was always out at work when his children came home from school.
They would see him only on weekends.
She said: "They were all busy with exams, and the focus on bonding was minimal. So they are really very sad."
She said Mr Cheng showed a strong will to live, despite his injuries.
"He was supposed to go on the first day, but the nurses told us, 'Your uncle's will is too strong, he doesn't want to leave too early,'" she said.
She felt that his desire to make up for lost time was what kept him alive that bit longer.
"Before he was admitted, he never saw his children, so no last words were said," said Miss Tan.
Dao Han added: "On the day before the accident, none of us actually saw him. The next time we saw him was when he was lying in the hospital."
The family is coping for now, with support from their kin.
"My mother broke down at times, but now she's staying calm. We told her to stay strong and that we would all support each other," said Dao Han.
He said that his sister was very emotional and would cry when she recalled how their father had cared for her.
Quiet person
"My younger brother (Dao Long) never shows anything, as he's a naturally quiet person. I've recommended him to see his school counsellors if he needs to," said Dao Han.
The family has received many anonymous calls and messages of condolences, with some people offering to send money electronically to their bank account.
Dao Han said that while the family appreciates the offers, "it is hard to track down who contributed through electronic transfers".
"We would really like to acknowledge them personally," he said.
Miss Tan added: "We also want anyone who can give an account of the accident to give us the truth, and give us some closure."
The police are investigating the cause of the accident. Witnesses are helping with the investigation, and any person with additional information which might be relevant to the case can call 1800-547-1818.
All evidence, including CCTV footage, will be thoroughly reviewed.
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