Weiliang, 25, was on the way home from school on his bike when he spotted this accident. "A large trailer carrying concrete slabs had overturned, uprooting trees and bringing traffic to a halt!" he says.
The STOMPer, who was on the scene just after it happened, also noted that after the trailer lay across the road, only one lane was left unobstructed.
Said the STOMPer:"The pictures I took were before the firemen came and already the traffic jam it created was massive.
"Some fellow motorists stopped at the road shoulder and got out to help.
"As far as I know, even though the accident looked dramatic, it seems as though no one was hurt.
"An uncle, who I assume is the driver of the trailer, was trying to marshal traffic."
STOMP has contacted SCDF for more details and a spokesperson replied.
"SCDF received a call at 4.55pm regarding an accident at PIE, towards Changi, before the Stevens Road exit.
"Two ambulances, one fire engine, one red rhino and one support vehicle were deployed and reached the scene shortly after.
"The accident involved a chain collision between a trailer truck carrying five concrete slabs, a van and a taxi.
"As a result, the trailer truck overturned and three concrete slabs were set loose.
"One concrete slab landed on the rear of the van.
"The driver of the van, a male Chinese, complained of back pain and was conveyed to National University Hospital (NUH) by a SCDF ambulance.
"There were no visible injuries for the other two drivers of the taxi and the trailer truck.
"The two other concrete slabs were found on the other side of the expressway (towards Tuas).
"One had landed on the road divider.
"The other one landed on the road surface and caused a chain collision between three cars.
"The front passenger of one of the cars, a female Malay, complained of pain on her left elbow and left thigh.
"She also suffered an asthma attack due to shock and was conveyed to NUH by SCDF ambulance."
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If you are willing to admit faults, you have one less fault to admit.
the insurance companies would have hard time of paying. most of the injury cases were inflated. in the end, it is all the car owners who will face the higher premier cost later.
my BIL who was hit by a taxi from behind claimed 4k for his neck injury. and you know what? he was not hurt at all.
Safety council wants more care taken by heavy vehicle operators
CABBY Ng Eng Tian, driving behind a massive concrete-laden trailer on Saturday afternoon, saw it veer between lanes and slowed down immediately.
Hitting the brakes saved his life, he said.
Seconds later, the trailer careered into the van ahead of it, flipped on its side, and unleashed five slabs - each the size of a wall and weighing 11/2tonnes - on the heavy Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) traffic.
'Thankfully, I slowed down, or I would have died,' said Mr Ng, 53.
That no one was killed or seriously injured in the accident was sheer luck. The accident has prompted National Safety Council president Tan Jin Thong to call for more care to be taken by those operating heavy vehicles with large loads.
Pointing to the recent accident, he said: 'For this type of vehicle, the concrete should be strapped down. The ropes or chains may not have been tight enough.'
He said if they were tight, 'the concrete would not have been flung so far'.
Each 2m-by-2m slab weighed about 1,400kg - equivalent to the weight of an average saloon car.
It is not clear whether the slabs were secured or how this was done.
One landed square on top of a van, narrowly missing its driver, who received outpatient treatment at National University Hospital.
The crash, which occurred at about 4.55pm just before the Stevens Road exit, left a trail of destruction on both sides of the expressway, leading to a massive six-hour traffic snarl.
Trees, metal railings and a lamp post along the central divider were splintered. One concrete slab, which was flung as far as the opposite side of the expressway, also caused a three-car pile-up.
The wreckage was so hefty, it had to be removed by crane.
A Land Transport Authority spokesman said a crane was sent down to clear the debris at about 7pm that day, and put upright the toppled trailer two hours later.
The driver of the trailer, who escaped unscathed, is helping police with investigations.
The company he works for declined comment when contacted yesterday.
Some heavy vehicles need special approval to ply the roads, and some even need auxiliary police escort. All have to keep to speed limits of 40kmh to 60kmh.
Keen to save time and money, however, drivers and companies often flout the law.
No official figures were available at press time, but Mr Tan, for example, said he had seen many heavy vehicles speeding along the expressway or travelling in the middle or right-hand lanes.
'Even if the trailer is empty, it should not travel above its speed limit,' he said.
A spokesman for security company Certis Cisco said some heavy vehicles flout the rules, which require them to be escorted by auxiliary police, who help ensure a smooth journey and regulate the speed of the vehicle.
First-time offenders face up to three years in jail and a $2,000 fine. A driver may also lose his licence for more than a year.
tis morn i not so heng liao...took oncall pax from tamp want to go Admiralty Dr...so use tpe...kena jam bcos stupid trailer with concbeams (like the one at pie crashed) brokedown in middle lane...rec'd bluenuts sms but too late i was caught in the jam
why the fack that such a trailer with heavy conc beams travel on the middle lane...where are the TPs to ensure smooth traffic har?...they only appear in group if there's an accident
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If you are willing to admit faults, you have one less fault to admit.
Took this pic today...just look at the conc slabs not even secured properly...if lorry turn sharply sure will be same scenerio as in PIE...putting the public in danger...so where are the TPs which tax payers paid their salaries...no point to appear when there's a major jam or worst an accident
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If you are willing to admit faults, you have one less fault to admit.
Took this pic today...just look at the conc slabs not even secured properly...if lorry turn sharply sure will be same scenerio as in PIE...putting the public in danger...so where are the TPs which tax payers paid their salaries...no point to appear when there's a major jam or worst an accident
maybe the civil servant salary not high enuff so they can slack.
