5 migrant workers taken to the hospital after pickup collides with car

A pickup crashed into the fence of a construction site after a collision with a car, injuring the migrant workers onboard.

Five of the workers were taken to hospital in the accident at about 6.40pm on March 1, at the junction of Punggol East and Punggol Central.

According to Shin Min Daily News, one of the workers was seen lying prone and bleeding from his head while another was lying nearby with blood on his sleeves.

When the reporter arrived at the scene, the scene was crawling with police and SCDF officers.

The car that had collided with the lorry was seen in the middle of the road, with its front badly damaged. There were debris and oil stains around the area.

A man working near the accident site said the pickup, which was driving along Punggol East, had collided with a car that was coming from Punggol Central Road.

"The pickup then lost control and careened onto the pavement before crashing into the fence of our construction site and stopping," he added.

The police and SCDF were alerted to the accident at about 6.40pm.

Five passengers, aged between 25 and 45, were conscious when they were taken to the hospital.

The 41-year-old lorry driver was arrested for dangerous driving, and investigations are ongoing.

Two people declined to be taken to the hospital.

Senior Minister of State for Transport and Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor told Parliament on Feb 26 that banning the practice of transporting workers in the back of pickup is "not practical".

"For many micro, small and medium enterprises, it is neither practical nor viable for the employers to have different vehicles and drivers to transport a small number of workers separately from their equipment and goods," she said.