Foreign workers flung off lorry in Shenton Way accident; driver allegedly reverses and runs over one of them

SINGAPORE - Five people were injured on Sunday afternoon (Sept 5), after a car and a lorry ferrying foreign workers collided in the Central Business District.

According to a witness, the impact of the crash flung two foreign workers off the back of the lorry.

Following the collision, the driver of the lorry inexplicably reversed the vehicle and ran over one of the workers, a 55-year-old food delivery man who witnessed the accident told Chinese-language evening paper Shin Min Daily News.

"The injured worker was lying on the ground, crying out in pain," he said. "He was conscious, but unable to speak."

The driver and passenger in the car appeared to be in shock and did not leave their vehicle until the Singapore Civil Defence Force arrived, he told Shin Min. 

Management consultant Robert Jessing was driving by in the immediate aftermath of the accident, and stopped to help the two injured workers.

“The damage was very clear - one of the workers had wheel tracks on his back as the lorry ran over his lower back and buttocks,” the 43-year-old told The Straits Times.

“Nothing severe was broken from what I could tell, but the skin on his lower back had a massive rash from being rolled over.”

He added that the other worker was bleeding slightly from the head, and was on the verge of losing consciousness.

“I tried to keep both of them still to prevent them from being injured further until the ambulances arrived.”

A group of about five people gathered to help the injured men, he said.

“This accident proves more safety measures are needed to provide foreign workers a safe ride,” he added.

Videos of the accident circulating online showed four ambulances at the scene.

The police said they were alerted to the accident at the junction of Cross Street and Cecil Street, in the Shenton Way area, at 5.44pm on Sunday.

Three men, aged between 28 and 34, were taken to Singapore General Hospital.

The driver of the car, a 58-year-old woman, and the passenger, a 60-year-old man, were also taken to the hospital.

Police investigations are ongoing.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.