'I saw the car run up the kerb and hit diners,' says witness of Geylang coffeeshop accident
A man in his 60s was dragged for about 3 metres when a car ploughed into a row of tables and chairs at a popular Geylang coffee shop last night (Sep 19), sending patrons scampering for safety.
The car crashed into the diners, who were sitting on the sidewalk outside the Geylang Lor 9 Fresh Frog Porridge coffee shop, at about 11pm.
The coffee shop was packed when the accident happened, witnesses said.
The owner of the coffeeshop, Mr Ben Tan, 45, said that the car was turning into Geylang Lor 9 when the accident happened.
He told The New Paper in Mandarin: "I was standing up when I saw the car ran up the kerb and hit diners."
A stall assistant at the coffee shop, Mrs Kaye Bautista Cercado, 25, said the car injured three customers sitting at different tables.
TNP PHOTO: Phyllicia Wang
The first to be hit was a woman, who bled from the back of her head, she said.
She added: "The woman could not move. Her lips were white. I thought she was dead. But luckily, 10 seconds later, she came to her senses. But she still couldn't move by herself."
The car then hit a man in his 30s, injuring him in his legs.
Mrs Kaye Bautista Cercado telling reporters about the accident. TNP PHOTO: Phyllicia Wang
Then, the car banged into an elderly in his 60s, hitting him in the stomach several times and then dragged him for about 3 metres along the kerb, she added.
Mrs Cercado said: "The uncle fell to the side and workers rushed forward to help him. His leg was injured."
Meanwhile, about 30 people, including workers and customers at the coffeeshop, as well as passers-by, ran after the car.
Car crashes into Honda car, after crashing into Geylang coffeeshop. TNP PHOTO: Phyllicia Wang
Among them was a stall assistant at the coffee shop, Mr Erick Kwok, 26.
He told TNP: "I just had dinner and heard screams. I ran out and tried to stop the driver. But he accelerated instead.
"Some customers even threw chairs at the car to make him stop."
But he sped away, down the road.
Mr Tan said: "A lot of people chase after the car, like in those movies. We were running and shouting for him to stop.
"He didn't want to stop. He accelerated instead. He didn't care about other people's lives."
The grey car came to a halt only when it rammed into another car at the junction of Geylang Lor 9 and Sims Avenue, about 100m away from the first hit.
Police conducting investigations at the scene of the accident. TNP PHOTO: Phyllicia Wang
Mr Tan said: "We ran all the way there and all of us surrounded him. By then, the group has swelled to about 40. He remained in his car until the police came and took him away."
Mr Tan said the driver of the car that was hit looked to be in his 30s and was limping, probably due to the impact.
Bloodstains were still visible on the road as well as on some tablecloths left on the road when TNP visited the scene last night.
The kerb and the road beside the coffee shop was cordoned off.
Site where car crashed. TNP PHOTO: Phyllicia Wang
Further down the road, the police also cordoned off one side of the road where the two damaged cars were. The traffic congestion cleared up soon after.
Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to a road traffic accident at about 11.20pm.
They sent three ambulances and conveyed four casualties to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
A woman in her 40s was semi-conscious and suffered from head injury and leg abrasions.
A man in his 60s was also semi-conscious and he suffered from right rib fracture and left leg abrasions.
Another man in his 60s suffered facial abrasions while a man in his 30s suffered lower leg abrasions.
They added that four people — three diners at the coffee shop and the driver — were taken conscious to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Cloth stained with blood at the side of the road, just outside the coffeeshop. TNP PHOTO: Phyllicia Wang
Police investigations are ongoing.
This is the third report of a vehicle crashing into a Geylang eatery in about a month.
On Sept 10, a blue Suzuki Swift crashed into a crowded coffee shop in Geylang Lorong 7, injuring a diner and sending diners at SN City Seafood restaurant scrambling for safety.
On Aug 21, a crash involving three vehicles resulted in a lorry mounting a kerb. It ended up in the walkway in front of the 99 Duck Neck restaurant between Geylang Lorong 11 and Lorong 13.
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