Cabby saves driver from burning car
Driver thanks cabby on Facebook for saving him from burning car
He fell asleep while driving and crashed his car into a tree in the wee hours last Thursday.
His car then burst into flames with him still inside.
Fortunately, a cabby witnessed the accident and stopped his taxi, rushed over and pulled Mr Raymond Ang out.
On Monday, Mr Ang, 27, thanked the stranger who saved his life via a Facebook post.
"To whoever you are, I wish to express my gratitude to you for willing to stop your vehicle and pull me out of my burning car, saving my (sic) this small little life," he said.
The accident happened at around 4.20am last Thursday on Marymount Road in the direction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6, said a police spokesman.
Mr Ang said in a Facebook post that he was driving along Marymount Road when he dozed off at the wheel.
He then lost control of his car and crashed it into a tree just outside Mount Alvernia Hospital.
Thankfully, a 58-year-old ComfortDelGro taxi driver who was passing by rushed to Mr Ang's aid before the flames engulfed the car.
A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman said they were alerted to the incident and two fire engines and an ambulance were sent to the scene.
The police spokesman said a 27-year-old man who was still conscious, was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
EXPLOSION
A witness told Shin Min Daily News that he was at home when he heard an explosion.
By the time he went downstairs to investigate, firefighters were already putting out the fire.
They used a water jet to extinguish the blaze, said the SCDF spokesman.
By then, the front of the car was reduced to a metal heap and most of its interior seemed to have melted.
Police and SCDF investigations are ongoing.
In his Facebook post, Mr Ang described the taxi driver as "a humble man who did not ask for anything in return".
Mr Ang said he values his life more now and added: "Thanks once again for everything. I will treasure this life that you have saved."
Past fire cases
FEBRUARY 2015
A Nissan Cefiro went up in flames at a carpark at the foot of Block 76, Lorong Limau in Balestier on Feb 3.
The car owner said he had parked it next to a van, turned off the engine and sat on a bench at the void deck. The van was damaged in the fire. No one was hurt.
JANUARY 2014
On Jan 3, a car caught fire after colliding with a tipper truck on the Bukit Timah Expressway, trapping a couple inside.
The driver of the truck and two motorists pulled both passengers out safely from the car, moments before it exploded.
Interior designer Lim Hong Kia, 53, truck driver Yang Zhen Jun, 44, and Ms Leong Wei Fong, in her 30s, received commendations from the Singapore Civil Defence Force later that month for their heroic efforts.
By the number
91: Cases of vehicles catching fire while on the road in the first half of this year, down from 114 in the same period last year.
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