Tow truck crash along ECP leaves private-hire driver shaken after tree branch smashes his car

SINGAPORE: A tow truck recently crashed into a tree branch, breaking it off, and damaging a privately hired car behind it. The branch smashed through the windshield and the roof. Fortunately, the elderly driver of the hired car escaped death but was rushed to the hospital due to a spike in blood pressure. 

According to Shin Min Daily News, a tree branch fell on a car on the East Coast Parkway (ECP), heading towards the city proper. The authorities confirmed that the accident involved a tow truck and five cars in total, where three people were taken to the hospital conscious. 

The privately hired car driver, who drove one of the white sedans that was involved in the accident, admitted that he was driving a passenger when he noticed that a tow truck was driving at a high speed. The driver saw it crash into a tree and break off a branch, causing it to fall. 

He declared that the branches crashed into his car, shattered the windshield, and broken branches fell onto the front seat. The driver recalled the experience and remarked that his mind went blank during that time, and that he could not react to what was happening. 

“I instinctively drove the car to the side and got out. I found that the car door couldn’t be opened, and I had to kick it open to escape,” he stated. 

The driver also shared the condition of his passenger in the back seat, who was then so frightened and started crying. “I reassured the passenger and helped him out of the car,” the driver said. 

The driver claimed that there were other damaged vehicles, but they were far away, so they did not know their condition. Moreover, other vehicles also stopped to comfort them before the paramedics arrived. 

“My blood pressure spiked, and I couldn’t stand up, while the passenger had cuts to his head and feet. I was discharged that same day,” the driver shared. 

Due to the accident, the driver was not able to sleep soundly for the past few days, and admitted that he is still scared. 

“I’ll probably decide whether to continue driving after I calm down,” he concluded. 

In similar news, there was a big tree that was uprooted by strong winds and rain at Jalan Besar, and it nearly fell on a group of secondary school students cycling at night. 

The accident happened to a commercial building located in Jalan Besar, and as seen from the photos provided by the people who reported the incident, a large tree about two storeys high fell on the sidewalk because of a broken trunk. 

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