Lorry mounts kerb, stops just short of Geylang eatery

He counts himself lucky because his van escaped damage in a crash involving a lorry, a car and a motorcycle at Geylang Road last night.

But those at the 99 Duck Neck restaurant were luckier - customers and staff escaped unscathed after a white lorry mounted a kerb and ended up on the walkway in front of the restaurant between Geylang Lorong 11 and Lorong 13.

Behind the lorry was a car with a damaged front. The van's driver, who wanted to be known only as Mr Tay, 50, told The New Paper: "I'm going to buy 4-D tomorrow. All three vehicles were damaged and somehow my van didn't get a single scratch."

His dark blue van was parked next to the eatery.

Sandwiched between the lorry and Mr Tay's van was a motorcycle, which was also damaged.

A Singapore Civil Defence Force spokesman told TNP that a man in his 60s was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital as a precautionary measure even though there were "no obvious injuries".

TNP understands that the man was the lorry driver.

The sight of the damaged vehicles at the eatery attracted more than 100 passers-by.

Police officers had to cordon part of Geylang Road as they conducted investigations.

Mr Tay was at a nearby karaoke pub on Geylang Road when the accident occurred. He did not see or hear the collision.

At a coffee shop on Lorong 10 across the road, one stallholder had a clear view. "I saw one vehicle hit another parked vehicle," said the stallholder who gave his name only as Mr Soh, 30.

"The driver sat in the vehicle until the police arrived."

Mr Soh's neighbour, who wished to be known only as Mr Firoz, 40, said the sound from the collision made people in his provision shop "stop what they were doing and come out to have a look".

Yet, according to Mr Soh, the collision was "nothing special" compared to what had happened to his own coffee shop two years ago.

In September 2012, a car had ploughed into tables and chairs, and damaged property belonging to a mini-mart next door. The owner of the mini-mart had then estimated his loss at about $7,000.

Said Mr Soh: "Luckily nobody was sitting at the tables where the car had crashed that day. Usually Geylang is a popular late-night 'makan' place with heavy human traffic.

"This time also 'heng' (Hokkien for lucky)."

The owner of 99 Duck Neck restaurant told TNP that he knew little about the collision as he had arrived at the scene late.

By about 11pm, work had begun to tow the lorry away. Police investigations are ongoing.

Last night's incident is at least the second such accident this year. In April, a taxi slammed into the front of a pub at Upper East Coast Road after it had collided with another car. Five people were hurt.