Clementi crash: Cab misses wheelchair-bound man by 2m

He saw the Mercedes cab speeding towards him yesterday (Sept 19) afternoon.

As frightened people ran for safety, the wheelchair-bound man remained at the Clementi taxi stand, staring death in the face.

All Mr Yao Long Xiang, 69, could think of at that moment was: "This is how I'm going to die."

But he is alive today, thanks to a metal column.

The taxi rammed into the barrier and came to a standstill, just two metres away from Mr Yao.

The cab that crashed into the taxi stand where 69-year-old Yao Long Xiang was waiting. PHOTO: LIANHE WANBAO

The incident happened around 3.30pm yesterday, along Commonwealth Ave West towards Jurong East.

Mr Yao recalled he was waiting at the taxi stand with a bag of items. There were about five people in the queue ahead of him.

He said: 

"Suddenly, I saw a taxi speed towards me and thought: 'This is it. Gone.'

"Luckily the cab crashed into a metal column, which broke the impact and helped me escape unscathed."

The impact of the collision caused the taxi's bonnet to cave in.

There were no passengers in the taxi when the crash happened yesterday afternoon. PHOTO: LIANHE WANBAO

A witness known only as Ms Duan, 28, told Shin Min Daily News the cabby remained in the vehicle after the crash.

A Singapore Civil Defence Force spokesman said his right arm was injured.

A police spokesman said the 55-year-old cabby was taken to hospital. He was conscious.

Sources: Shin Min Daily News, Lianhe Wanbao