A 19-year-old National University of Singapore (NUS) student passed away last night after a taxi she was in collided into a car at an intersection, throwing her out of the taxi window. The incident occurred at the junction of Clementi Road and Commonwealth Avenue West.
Three other passengers and the drivers of the taxi and the car were conveyed to National University Hospital, where the 19-year-old died of her injuries. All the other passengers are NUS students, as well. One of the students was trapped in one of the vehicles and had to be extricated with hydraulic tools.
Dashboard camera footage capturing the horrific incident has been circulating on social media. Viewer discretion is advised:
In the video, the taxi can be seen turning right at the intersection, behind another car. As it is halfway into the turn, a car from the taxi’s diagonal opposite direction sped forward and collided into the taxi. It appears that the car had the right of way.
The impact was so serious that both the car and the taxi were sent spinning following the crash. The 19-year-old NUS student’s head can be seen hanging out of the taxi window as the taxi comes to a stop.
NUS issued a statement on the matter this afternoon. Sharing that it was deeply saddened by the accident, the school said that it is in touch with the families and friends of the four students involved in the collision:
https://www.facebook.com/nus.singapore/posts/10156282266888540:0
Netizens responding to the crash expressed concerns about drivers being pressured to make turns by drivers behind them who cannot see the road but still honk for them to move. One netizen shared that he was involved in a similar crash at the same junction, just last month:
Others expressed their condolences to the family and friends of the teenager who passed away. One netizen revealed that the girl who died was her daughter’s friend and expressed her grief that the girl died unnecessarily:
This latest tragedy comes just a few days after another person associated with NUS passed away on campus:
https://theindependent.sg.sg/research-staff-passed-away-on-campus-nus-confirms/