Biker loses leg but cop uses belt to save his life
When he got dressed that morning and slipped on his designer belt, he had no idea that he would later use it to save another man's life.
Police Staff Sergeant Lim, 33, used the Braun Buffel belt as a tourniquet to stem the intense bleeding from Muhammad Farhan Yusof's right thigh.
The police officer's full name and designation cannot be revealed due to the nature of his work.
That day in May 2012, Mr Muhammad Farhan, 26, was involved in a horrific traffic accident on the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE).
The police officer was one of eight motorists who stopped to help Mr Muhammad Farhan as he lay bleeding.
Now that he has recovered, he has been intent on meeting the people who stopped to help.
Yesterday, he met thepolice officer who recalled what he did.
"Farhan lost part of his right leg in the accident. I used the belt and tightened it around his thigh to stop the bleeding.
"Blood was steadily flowing out like water from a hose. He was losing a lot of blood and could have bled to death."
Mr Muhammad Farhan, a technician, was riding his motorcycle on the PIE towards Tuas before the Jalan Anak Bukit exit when he slammed into an SMRT bus.
It was 6pm and he was riding from his workplace in Kallang to his Bukit Batok home.
Though he survived the crash, his right leg was severed above the knee.
Doctors could not re-attach the limb, and he now moves around on crutches.
MASSIVE JAM
Staff Sgt Lim, who was driving home to Jurong from his workplace in the northern part of Singapore, was not too concerned when he was stuck in the massive jam near Eng Neo Avenue.
He thought it was the usual peak-hour jam.
The father of two young children said he had just completed about 10 hours of work and was thinking of his duties for the next day when he drove past the accident.
He said: "I saw Farhan lying on the road in a pool of blood, and was shocked to see that he was missing a leg.
"There were about four or five people trying to help him."
Without missing a beat, the trained police medic parked his car in front of the SMRT bus and dashed out.
He said that luckily, three lanes of the PIE had already been closed to traffic at the time and only one was open to vehicles.
"I asked the other guys, 'Where's the leg?', and they showed me the severed limb that they had placed inside a plastic bag.
"I have seen worse accidents, so I wasn't too affected by the sight of the severed leg. Even though Farhan was conscious, I knew he needed immediate help or he could have lost his life," said Staff Sgt Lim.
He said Mr Muhammad Farhan appeared to be in a daze, but could still reply when asked questions like where he was going and how he was feeling at that time.
The police officer then slipped off his belt which he said cost a few hundred dollars, and tightened it around the latter's thigh.
Because the wound was still bleeding, he used bandages taken from the bus' first-aid kit and tied them near the younger man's groin. Only then did the blood stop spurting.
Said Staff Sgt Lim, who did not get his belt back: "By then, all the rescuers' clothes and hands were red in blood. But as Singaporeans, I think it is our duty to help one another."
An ambulance arrived about 10 minutes later, and the rescuers passed the leg to a paramedic.
Mr Muhammad Farhan was then rushed to the National University Hospital.
The technician said he could not remember anything about the crash.
He said: "I remember leaving my workplace and waking up in the intensive care unit, that's all. I don't remember talking to anyone or lying on the ground."
PROSTHETIC
Mr Muhammad Farhan received his prosthetic leg in March last year, but he wears it only to work as it is uncomfortable. He intends to make a better-fitting one soon.
He has already met three of the eight Good Samaritans who had helped him.
Besides Staff Sgt Lim, he has already expressed his gratitude to full-time national serviceman Mohamed Kader Yousufdeen, 22 and MediaCorp Suria actor Muhammad Nurhafi, 24.
"I would really like to meet the remaining five for coming together to save my life. I think I wouldn't be here if they didn't help me," said Mr Muhammad Farhan.
Even though Farhan was conscious, I knew he needed immediate help or he could have lost his life.
- Police Staff Sergeant Lim
Other Good Samaritans to the rescue
JULY 30, 2014
He was involved in an apparent hit-and-run accident with a car on the Bukit Timah Expressway on July 30.
Accounts manager Kelvin Seo, 29, who was heading home towards Woodlands on his motorcycle at around 7pm, lost consciousness in the crash.
When he regained consciousness, he found himself in an ambulance, confused and disorientated.
He later found out that other motorists had stopped to tend to him as he lay injured on the expressway for about half an hour.
One of them, Mr Asrin Abas, 42, was in his car with his two young daughters when he saw Mr Seo tumble from his motorbike. He immediately stopped by the side of the expressway and came forward to help.
OCT 23, 2013
At about 8.50am on Oct 23 last year, a tipper truck went out of control on the Ayer Rajah Expressway, turned on its side and landed on a taxi.
Cabby Ng Kim Beng, 46, and his passenger, Mr Vincent Ng Say Ho, 28, were trapped in the vehicle.
An unidentified passer-by stopped to comfort the driver and prayed with him. Other motorists also stopped, to help remove debris such as glass and metal.
One of them, IT analyst Dani Norain Tawil, 42, was on her motorcycle when the incident occurred.
Together with the other motorists, she dug through the debris with her bare hands to help the victims.
Officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force freed both men, who were taken to the National University Hospital.
JULY 23, 2013
On July 23 last year, a final-year Ngee Ann Polytechnic nursing student, Miss Alessandra Connie Leong, 19, was on her way to school in a bus when she saw an injured motorcyclist lying on Braddell Road.
She alighted at the next stop and ran to see how she could help the man.
Realising he had no pulse, she performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation for five to six minutes while waiting for medical help to arrive.
He later died from his injuries.
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