Lorry passenger killed in accident along PIE; 36-year-old driver arrested

SINGAPORE — The police have arrested a 36-year-old man following a fatal accident along the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) on Tuesday (April 20) morning that resulted in the death of a migrant worker.

In response to queries from TODAY, the police said that the accident involved a lorry and a stationary tipper truck along the PIE towards Changi Airport, before the Jalan Bahar exit. 

The police added that they were alerted to it at 6.06am.

All 17 male passengers in the lorry, aged between 23 and 46, were sent to the National University Hospital and Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. Two were unconscious. 

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that two people were found trapped at the rear compartment of the lorry. 

"SCDF rescued the persons using hydraulic rescue equipment," it said in response to queries from TODAY.

A 33-year-old man who was a passenger in the lorry subsequently died from his injuries, said the police. TODAY understands that he was one of the two unconscious persons.

The 36-year-old lorry driver was subsequently arrested for careless driving causing death, said the police. Police investigations are ongoing.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday evening, the Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) said that the lorry was a transport vehicle for migrant workers.

As of Tuesday evening, nine of the injured workers have been discharged from hospital after being treated for minor injuries while the remaining seven are still warded in hospital, it added. 

"Out of the seven, two are in the Intensive Care Unit and we ask for all well-wishers to offer up their thoughts and prayers for these workers," said MWC, adding that it has been in contact with the employer of the affected workers to provide the necessary assistance to them.  

It noted that as the accident took place while the workers were en route to the worksite, they should be protected under the Work Injury Compensation Act (Wica).

"MWC will also be contacting the loved ones of the deceased to offer our sympathies as well as to extend interim financial assistance to the family as it will take some time for Wica to be paid out."