Accident on PIE leaves five injured

SINGAPORE — Five people were injured — among them a lorry driver and a child who sustained severe injuries — in an accident involving two lorries along the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) today (Aug 27).

All five were passengers on the two lorries, which clashed near the Toa Payoh exit on the expressway. The pile-up involved seven other cars, two vans and two tipper trucks.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the incident at 5.21pm. When they arrived, they found the driver of one of the lorries trapped in the vehicle, and had to free him using a hydraulic spreader cutter. He was seriously injured and was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) alongside three other casualties who were conscious. The child who suffered serious injuries was taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Mr Tan Kim Teo, a taxi driver, was cooking at home at the time of the accident, when he heard a loud bang. Looking out of the window of his apartment, which overlooks the expressway, he saw what appeared to be seven to eight vehicles involved in the accident. “They were in all sorts of conditions, some were tailgated, others cars were hit both front and the rear, some survived with only minor scratches.” said the 64-year-old taxi driver.

Another witness, Mr Tan Chiew Kwak, who was driving past the scene of the accident, said the accident caused traffic to slow down as three lanes were disrupted. “It was not that bad because it was still quite early.” he added.