• A 69-year-old man collapsed suddenly at Ang Mo Kio MRT Station, but onlookers did nothing for five minutes
• It was only when SMRT station manager Sorrace Ramu sprang into action that help was given to the man
• Although he died soon after, his family praised Mr Sorrace for his quick action

SINGAPORE — When Mr Sorrace Ramu learnt that an elderly man had collapsed near Ang Mo Kio MRT Station last month, the station manager with rail operator SMRT sprang into action and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in an effort to save his life.

Although 69-year-old Teo Eng Hoe died soon after in hospital, Mr Sorrace’s actions drew praise from the man’s family.

In a post on SMRT’s Facebook page late last month, the man’s son Thaddeus Teo thanked Mr Sorrace for his “act of bravery and swiftness”.

Speaking to TODAY on Thursday (Feb 11), Mr Sorrace, 38, said that he did not see himself as a hero, insisting it was a team effort.

The incident happened around noon on Jan 9, when the elder Teo suddenly collapsed as he was walking along a linkway between Ang Mo Kio MRT Station and AMK Hub shopping mall.

He was on his way to hospital to visit his wife, who had just undergone a kneecap surgery.

Mr Thaddeus Teo, 32, who works in commodities trading, told TODAY that based on closed-circuit television footage of the linkway at the time, bystanders watched on for about five minutes and no one stepped forward to help his father.

Mr Sorrace was the first to rush there after a passer-by told staff members at the train station about the incident.

“He came down and immediately started CPR. It was a very natural instinct, and without deliberation, as he knew what needed to be done at that point in time,” Mr Thaddeus Teo said.

Mr Sorrace said that it was the first time in his four-and-a-half years as an SMRT employee that he had faced such an incident.

“I immediately thought about our first-aid training and acted accordingly.”

He gave credit to his team, comprising senior assistant station manager Johari Rahmat and assistant station managers Muhammad Zaki Shamsudin and Mahalackshmi K Krishnaswamy.

“They assisted in bringing the automated external defibrillator, in crowd control, and in taking down details of whoever was present,” he said.

It was only 10 days after the incident that Mr Thaddeus Teo managed to visit Mr Sorrace at the train station to find out more about his father’s last moments.

When they met, Mr Thaddeus Teo had with him a red packet of gift money as a token of appreciation, but Mr Sorrace did not accept it.

Company policy forbids SMRT employees from accepting gifts, but he said that he would have declined it regardless.

“We appreciate it that he came down to give such a token, but we just felt uncomfortable to accept it,” Mr Sorrace said. “We just did our job.”

Mr Sorrace said that Mr Thaddeus Teo offered him a hug and the meeting was “an emotional moment”.

“I’m glad that (the family) got the closure,” Mr Sorrace added.

Quoting findings from the coroner, Mr Thaddeus Teo said that his father died from a heart disease.

“What we miss most about him is that he made morning coffee for me and he would walk with my mum in the park every morning, without fail.”

In a statement to TODAY, SMRT’s chief communications officer Margaret Teo said: “We are proud of station manager Sorrace Ramu for putting in his best efforts.

“Our front-line men and women undergo regular training to help commuters when there is a need. The well-being of our commuters is important to us.”