‘Not all PMD riders are bad’: GrabFood delivery man commended for rescuing trapped driver
The GrabFood rider — who was identified as Mr Muhammad Riau Alfian, 28 — was seen in a video pulling an elderly man out of a lorry that had turned on its side before paramedics arrived.
SINGAPORE — A GrabFood delivery man was hailed as a hero after he rescued a trapped driver from a lorry that overturned at a junction in Boon Lay on Saturday (Aug 10) morning.
In videos captured by witness Mohamad Nurfadly, the GrabFood rider — who was identified as Mr Muhammad Riau Alfian, 28 — was seen pulling an elderly man out of a lorry that had turned on its side before paramedics arrived.
The lorry driver was trying to avoid a rubbish truck along the junction at Jalan Boon Lay and Boon Lay Way at about 10am when it made a sharp right turn, causing it to tip over.
Mr Nurfadly, a 37-year-old first-aid instructor, told TODAY that the moment the accident took place, Mr Alfian threw aside his personal mobility device (PMD), mobile phone and delivery bag and rushed to help.
Mr Alfian, who had been a GrabFood delivery man since September last year, managed the traffic before climbing onto the side of the lorry to attempt to free the trapped driver — who was still conscious.
Mr Alfian even wrapped his fist with a cloth to try to break the side window before a worker from a nearby construction site provided a crowbar, Mr Nurfadly added.
Mr Nurfadly said that he decided to post the videos he took on Facebook as a way to show that not all PMD riders endanger the lives of others as they had so often been depicted.
“Some of us are life savers too,” Mr Nurfadly, who himself is a part-time FoodPanda delivery rider, wrote on Facebook on Saturday.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force confirmed that it was alerted to the incident at 10am on Saturday. One man was taken to Ng Teng Fong Hospital.
Mr Nurfadly did not manage to talk to Mr Alfian after the incident as he had rushed off, but Mr Alfian’s sister reached out to him since he made the Facebook post, which had been shared more than 400 times as of 9pm on Sunday.
Noting that the whole rescue effort took 15 minutes, Mr Nurfadly pointed out that helping out in situations like these could mean a late pick-up or drop-off.
“For us riders, time is crucial,” he continued. “Every minute wasted is a loss of possible income.”
Yet, Mr Alfian remained selfless by choosing to help a stranger during an emergency, he added.
“Kudos and well done to the Grab rider hero,” he said.
His comments were echoed by netizens. A Facebook user by the name of Lailalela Lelala said: “Well done. Not all PMD riders are bad. There are many good ones too. Kind hearted and well done.”
A user by the name Kelvin Ong wrote: “PMD riders across the food delivery company and the community going around the island is one of the best to have, as they can be the first responder to help with any accident or incident. Thumbs up!”
TODAY has reached out to Grab for comment.
