She was looking for cardboard behind a coffeeshop next to an open-air yesterday when tragedy struck.
A Comfort taxi, that was reversing into a parking lot suddenly mounted the kerb and crashed into her.
The 78-year-old Cardboard Ah Ma, Poh Ah Gin, died despite doctors from a nearby clinic fighting to save her live at the scene.
She had been a familiar face in the neighbourhood for the past 20 years.
Witnesses say the taxi was lunging back and forth, and hit Cardboard Ah Ma two times.
It also hit other cars in the car park.
The Civil Defence was alerted to the accident near Block 123 Bedok North St 2 about 3.15pm.
Cardboard Ah Ma was the 3rd of 11 children.
Her younger sister said she insisted on collecting cardboard despite having money.
She said that she and her brother would take turns check on Cardboard Ah Ma and buy food for her as she lived alone.
Police have arrested the 64-year-old taxi driver for causing death by a negligent act.
The taxi driver’s son said his father was about to end his shift and hand over the taxi when the accident happened.
He said that his father parks at the same stretch of parking lots almost every day.
“My father told me that he was trying to park his cab when it surged backwards, mounted the kerb and hit the woman. He then switched gears and the cab rushed forward and hit the vehicles in front.”
Cardboard Ah Ma’s death is the latest in a series of killings involving cardboard-picking as a recreational activity for the elderly.
62-year-old Mdm Tan Powi Kim died in February this year, after a car hit her at Clarke Quay while she was loading carboard boxes on a lorry.
In November 2014, 86-year-old Mdm Ching Guan Eng died after was run over by a bus in Marsiling.
