'Narrowly escaped death': Construction worker gets to his feet after being hit, run over and dragged by bus

A construction worker had a close shave with death after he was struck by a bus on Thursday (June 27) and dragged under for a few seconds. Miraculously, he managed to get to his feet after that.

The accident happened around 5.20pm at the junction of Anson Road and Palmer Road.

In a video uploaded to Facebook group SG Road Vigilante, the worker, wearing a bright green reflective vest and hard hat, is seen walking to the bus lane and placing a cone.

He then turns around to walk back to the side of the road, where there were construction works near a bus stop.

However, he fails to notice that an SMRT bus is turning in from his left. The bus rams into him, and he falls under the left front wheel and is dragged under the carriage for a short distance.

He manages to sweep his legs out before the rear wheel strikes him. The bus comes to a halt at the bus stop a few metres away from where the worker lies.

A man in a red reflective vest and another worker in a green vest help the man get to his feet.

The man, clutching his back, manages to hobble to the pavement. He grabs on to a barricade to prop himself up, but is unable to stand up straight.

Bus driver suspended

Responding to queries from AsiaOne, Vincent Gay, deputy managing director of SMRT Buses, said: "Bus service 970 was travelling along Anson Road when (it) hit a male construction worker near a construction site. There were no passengers onboard the bus."

The worker was taken to the hospital and a dedicated care team is offering assistance and support to him, Gay said, adding that the bus captain has been suspended and that the company is assisting with police investigations.

The police told AsiaOne that they were alerted to the accident at around 5.25pm. The 33-year-old construction worker was taken conscious to the hospital and the 48-year-old bus driver is assisting with investigations.

'Were his eyes even on the road?'

Many netizens, shocked by the accident, said the worker was "lucky" to escape death. Some slammed the bus driver for being inattentive.

"The bus driver appeared to be daydreaming... and failed to notice a person standing with (a) road cone," a Facebook user said. 

"Such negligence warrants banning him from driving public transport. The [worker] narrowly escaped death."

Another commented: "This bus driver should never be on the road again. Driver should be jailed for very reckless and careless driving, otherwise someone will get killed one day."

A netizen also questioned: "Were his eyes even on the road?"

Some expressed concern for the worker.

One netizen said: "This is crazy… The worker surely has an internal injury, it can't be as simple as it looks. In the moment he's (still affected by) adrenaline, still can stand up. A few tonnes of bus rolled over him, cannot be nothing is crushed… Hope he gets well soon."

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khooyihang@asiaone.com