Three passers-by help Marine Parade crash victims
A lorry was lying on its side with the driver trapped in the cabin.
A woman and her two children were in a wrecked car, with smoke coming out of its engine.
They all appeared to be in shock after a collision at Marine Parade on Wednesday afternoon.
But no one offered help.
So three off-duty traffic management officers, who were passing by, jumped into action.
The men helped the four people involved in the accident, which happened at the junction of Marine Parade and Siglap Roadat around 2.15pm. They even took charge of managing traffic afterwards.
Mr Vincent Chan told The New Paper: "When we saw the children and their mother, their safety was the first thing we thought of."
Mr Chan, 47, parked the company's van in a safe location, while Mr Mohamed Izwandi Md Min, 33, and Mr Muhammad Taufiq Tahar, 24, ran to the scene.
A woman appeared to be in shock and was still in the driver's seat, crying, as smoke billowed out of the front of the car.
Said Mr Taufiq: "She was partially trapped by her airbag, which had been inflated.
"There were also two schoolboys, who looked shocked and were frozen to their seats in the back."
While Mr Izwandi monitored the traffic, Mr Chan and Mr Taufiq calmed the woman and her children in the car.
By then, a crowd had gathered.
The men then got the help of a female passer-by, who dragged the driver out. The boys got over their initial shock and stepped out of the car.
Relieved that the family was safe, Mr Taufiq rushed to the overturned lorry, where the driver was desperately trying to get out. But the left door was jammed.
Mr Taufiq said: "He looked a bit lost but wasn't injured."
With the help of two passers-by, Mr Taufiqmanaged to open the door, and the trapped driver climbed out.
When the police arrived about half an hour later, the trio were directing traffic.
Mr Izwandi said: "It was very hard for the vehicles to move and we needed to make it safe for the ambulance."
They left after handing the situation over to the police.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it was alerted at 2.20pm and sent two ambulances.
A police spokesman said that a 45-year-old woman was taken to Changi General Hospital while two children aged 10 and 12 were taken to KK Women's and Children's Hospital.
A witness was so impressed that she called The New Paper to laud the bravery of the three men.
Madam Evelyn Hung, a 39-year-old sales executive, said: "The three of them managed the traffic so smoothly that there was no congestion within five to eight minutes.
"I salute their act of heroism. They showed such selflessness without thinking of their own safety."
When asked how they felt about being called heroes, the men smiled bashfully.
Mr Taufiq said: "It's a natural thing to help. For me, I feel happy but I see it as part of my daily job. I think for all of us, on or off, we just help whoever needs help."
She was partially trapped by her airbag, which had been inflated. There were also two school boys, looking shocked, who were frozen to their seats in the back.
- Mr Muhammad Taufiq Tahar (centre), and his colleagues Vincent Chan (left) and Mohamed Izwandi Min (right), rescued four people in a traffic accident
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