My passengers beat me up when I tried to stop them fighting: Grab driver
Stomper Wind said he was "chased and attacked" along the Pan-Island Expressway.
A Grab driver was left injured after he allegedly tried to stop his two passengers from fighting, only for them to turn on him.
Stomper Wind said he was "chased and attacked" along the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) towards Tuas, before the Central Expressway (CTE), sometime after 3am on July 4.
The 48-year-old recounted: "My two drunken male passengers picked a quarrel among themselves and were about to get into a fight while I was sending them to their destination. I told them to please refrain from doing so inside the car.
"I saw one man raising his fist, so I immediately stopped the car by the roadside and called the police. He was unhappy and kept saying I was a lady and asked why I called the police. He tried to punch me multiple times, but I dodged.
"After about five minutes, the other passenger joined in. Both of them blatantly chased me on lane 4 of the PIE, raining punches and kicks on me even when I was down on the road.
"I managed to stand up and run to lane 3. The two men got scared and ran away."
Wind, a full-time Grab driver, highlighted his helplessness that night.
He told Stomp: "I refused to continue the journey, so the men turned their anger on me. The whole time, I kept waving for help but none came. Many cars passed by, but no one even stopped to help.
"I first called 999 at 3.18am before the attack, but the police only arrived at 4.10am after many calls, because apparently they were unable to locate me."
According to Wind, a fellow private-hire (PHV) driver eventually stopped to help him. EMAS (Expressway Monitoring & Advisory System) and Aetos also responded to the scene.
"When the police arrived, they called the ambulance," said Wind, who contacted Stomp at 4.46am with photos of him bleeding.
Wind, who was conscious when taken to hospital, said he suffered injuries "mostly to the head". He also had a slight nose fracture and a blood clot in one ear.
Speaking to Stomp while hospitalised, Wind added: "Grab's hotline was not very helpful. Since I had purchased their insurance, they told me to do the claim myself. They later contacted me to ask about my condition after Stomp got involved.
"I have mixed feelings but am also quite disappointed. Drivers on the road can only fend for themselves. Now I can't work for a few days.
"Fares are going down and passengers are unreasonable. Being a PHV driver really sucks."
In response to a Stomp query, the police said they received a call for assistance along PIE towards Tuas at about 3.20am.
Police investigations are ongoing.
Wind was discharged from hospital on the evening of July 4 at his request.
Stomp has contacted Grab for more info.