Six taken to hospital after car hits tree & mounts divider at Punggol

A woman had her leg pinned under the wheel of a car after it went out of control and crashed into three pedestrians in Punggol Central yesterday morning.

Her leg was so badly injured that some passers-by used some of their clothes to try to stem the heavy bleeding, a witness said.

Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers arrived soon after and used hydraulic tools to rescue the woman.

She and the two people with her, as well as the car driver and his two passengers, were taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in three ambulances.

The police, who were alerted to the accident at Punggol Central towards Sumang Lane at 8.48am, said the six injured people are aged between 29 and 65.

The driver, a 63-year-old man, was arrested for causing hurt by a negligent act. Police investigations are ongoing.

SCREECHING

Mr Carl Danker, the operations director of the Church of the Transfiguration in Punggol Central, was getting ready for the 9am mass when he heard a loud screeching sound, followed by a bang and a scream.

Fearing the worst, he shouted for someone to call for an ambulance and the police before running out to see what had happened.

"A car was up against a tree, and I saw a woman under the car and she was bleeding," Mr Danker, 52, told The New Paper.

He realised that the injured pedestrians are a couple and their daughter who are church members after he recognised that the father's T-shirt was from one of its ministries.

When he reached the crash scene, parishioners and passersby were attending to the man's wife, who was unconscious.

He said parts of the car were strewn all over the road, and the windshield was badly cracked.

Mr Danker said the father and daughter, who had minor injuries, were in shock.

"My immediate thought as a Catholic was to go and get a priest. I wanted to get them spiritual aid," he said.

When he got back, a passer-by told him there were people in the car.

He said the front passenger, who was still wearing her seat belt, was groaning. When he helped her out, he noticed another woman in the backseat.

"She was slumped up against the two front seats in a very awkward position with her spine curved and her right leg on top of the seat.

"It looked as if it was twisted," said Mr Danker, who decided not to move her out of fear of aggravating her injuries.

Engineer Koh Chek Kian told The Straits Times that he saw the car breach the kerb and hit a tree at high speed.

"It then swerved 90 degrees, and its tail hit three people on the road island as they were waiting to cross the road," he said.

Mr Koh told ST that the woman's leg was trapped under a car wheel, and some passers-by removed some of their clothes and used them to stem her profuse bleeding.

Mr Danker said about 20 people helped attend to the casualties and direct traffic after borrowing traffic cones from a neighbouring construction site.

Parish priest Joachim Chang told Shin Min Daily News that many parishioners would cross the road using the road island as a shortcut.

The church is located between two traffic junctions, one near Waterway Point about 150m away, and the other at the intersection of Punggol Central and Punggol Way 250m away.

He said there are plans for an overhead bridge and he hoped it can be built quickly.

"After the accident, we will also request that a barrier be put up to avoid similar incidents."