2 people trapped in taxi taken to hospital with ‘traumatic injuries’ after crash
When crew members from the Singapore Civil Defence Force arrived at the accident scene, the taxi was lying on its side against a concrete barricade.
SINGAPORE — Two people involved in an accident at the junction of Bukit Timah Road and Selegie Road were taken to hospital with traumatic injuries early on Saturday (July 10) morning after a “delicate and complex” rescue operation to extricate them.
In a Facebook post, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that at about 2.50am on Saturday, they were called to the scene of the accident involving a taxi and a car.
When its crew members arrived, the CityCab taxi was found lying on its side against a concrete barricade.
Two people were found trapped in the back seat of the taxi, with one person on top of the other.
The drivers of the taxi and the car were found outside their vehicles when SCDF arrived and were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Novena, while the rescue operation for the other two victims were under way.
Owing to the complexity of the operation, rescuers from SCDF's elite disaster assistance and rescue team (Dart) were deployed to the scene.
“Prior to Dart’s arrival, firefighters from Central Fire Station immediately stabilised the taxi using stepped chocks and blocks, together with a winch (a lifting device), to secure its undercarriage to a fire engine,” SCDF said.
This was to minimise movement of the wreckage during the operation.
The taxi’s windscreen was also removed to allow access to the casualties from the front.
The rescuers then reached the casualties through the taxi’s front windscreen and its rear hatch, and secured and stabilised them within the narrow confines of the wreckage.
Another team of Dart rescuers pried the taxi’s roof apart using hydraulic rescue equipment to create space for the casualties to be extricated safely.
“This delicate and complex rescue operation was successfully conducted in about an hour,” SCDF said.
The two casualties were also taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Ms Tammy Tan, group chief branding and communications officer at ComfortDelGro Corporation, which runs CityCab, said that the firm was deeply sorry about the accident.
“The taxi and the other vehicle were at the controlled junction of Selegie Road and Bukit Timah Road, which appeared to have faulty traffic lights when the accident happened,” she said.
The company is in touch with its taxi driver and the driver of the car, who are both under observation at the hospital.
“Our priority is in trying to get in touch with the passengers on board our taxi and to assist them the best we can. We will also assist the police in their investigations."
