SBS Transit driver trapped in seat after collision involving lorry and another bus

An SBS Transit driver had to be rescued by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) after he was trapped in his seat when the vehicle rammed into a lorry on Thursday (May 30) morning.

Clips and photos of the accident — which took place along Loyang Avenue — were uploaded to Facebook and show a lorry crushed between two SBS Transit buses.

The back of the lorry appears to have pierced through the windscreen of the bus behind it.

A resident in the area surnamed Xin, 32, told Shin Min Daily News that he was jolted awake by the loud collision. 

Lorry driver, trapped bus driver taken to hospital

The SCDF said in a Facebook post that they were alerted to the accident near the junction of Loyang Avenue and Pasir Ris Drive 1 at about 9:30am.

About 40 passengers from both buses had evacuated before firefighters from Changi Fire Station and Tampines Fire Station arrived at the scene.

To ensure the safety of the trapped bus driver, a firefighter positioned himself inside the bus during the rescue operation.

"This was necessary as hydraulic rescue equipment were being used to pull back the dashboard and steering wheel that was forced inwards due to the impact of the collision," said SCDF.

When the lorry was removed, the Shin Min reporter who was at the scene noted that the left side of the bus's front windscreen had been severely damaged.

Two lanes were blocked because of the accident and caused a jam that lasted for hours.

The police told AsiaOne that the 31-year-old male lorry driver and the 69-year-old male bus driver who was trapped were conscious when taken to hospital. Investigations are ongoing.

SBS Transit spokesperson Grace Wu told Shin Min that bus service 59 had rear-ended a lorry along Loyang Avenue, causing the lorry to hit another SBS Transit bus in front of it. 

In response to AsiaOne's queries, she said that no passengers were hurt in the accident, while the lorry driver and the trapped bus captain received medical treatment mainly for cuts and abrasions.

"Our bus captain received outpatient treatment and we are still trying to reach out to the lorry driver to extend our care and support. Meanwhile, we are assisting the traffic police in their investigations," she added.

ALSO READ: SCDF rescues trapped driver, 78, from flipped car in Toa Payoh

lim.kewei@asiaone.com