Stuck in lorry, blood all over his face

It was not the first time he had seen someone trapped in a vehicle and all he could think of was the safety of the lorry driver who was stuck.

Mr Juraime Jumahat, 36, a project coordinator, was heading to a work site in his car when he saw an accident involving a lorry and an SMRT bus.

The accident happened yesterday at around 2pmat Sembawang Road towards Upper Thomson Road.

Mr Juraime noticed that the driver was stuck in the lorry. He had blood all over his face and looked like he was having difficulty breathing.

BOTH LEGS TRAPPED

The New Paper understands the driver, who is in his 60s, was stuck in his seat with both legs trapped.

Last year, Mr Juraime saw an accident outside his office in Tuas where a driver was trapped in his vehicle.

He said: "In the previous accident, the driver died. So I was very worried about this lorry driver. I hope he pulls through despite the injuries."

A traffic controller at a nearby construction site, who gave his name as Mr Rupon, 27, said he saw the accident.

The bus was waiting for the traffic light to turn green and was stationary for about five seconds when the lorry hit it from behind.

CONSCIOUS

When TNP arrived at the scene, the lorry driver had been taken conscious to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. The windshield of the lorry was shattered and there was glass all over the road.

The front of the lorry was smashed in and the driver's door had been dismantled by Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers, who used hydraulic rescue tools to free the lorry driver.

The SCDF sent a fire engine, a Red Rhino, an ambulance and two support vehicles to the scene.

SMRT media and marketing communications director Alina Boey said that none of the eight passengers on board SMRT bus service 169 had been injured.

The bus driver transferred the passengers to the next bus to continue their journey before sending the bus to Woodlands Depot to be repaired.

SMRT is working with the police in their investigations.