About a dozen cars travelling along the Kranji Expressway (KJE) on Oct. 3 had to pull over onto the road shoulder after their wheels were damaged by numerous pieces of metal strewn on the road.
The motorists subsequently discovered that the metal pieces had fallen off a Malaysia-registered truck.
via Mothership reader
via Mothership reader
One of the affected drivers, who tipped Mothership off about the incident, ended up having to fork out about S$1,400 to get his tyres and rims changed.
via Mothership reader
via Mothership reader
What happened
According to the driver, Nawawi, the incident occurred at about 1:15pm along the KJE in the direction of Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) exit.
The driver, who was travelling with his wife in a Mazda 5 at that time, said: "There was a loud stomping sound that hit the undercarriage of my car. The next thing I knew, the car tyres sensor was beeping and I knew something had hit my tyres."
Based on the photos submitted by Nawawi, the metal pieces appeared to be metal sheets and beams.
And as it turns out, Nawawi was not the only motorist affected.
According to him, there were about 10 to 15 cars that eventually pulled over onto the road shoulder as their tyres were damaged.
As the incident occurred along a major expressway, help arrived swiftly.
Nawawi said: "I called 999 for assistance for traffic police to help and control the area after my car was hit. A few more got hit too. The officers and EMAS (Expressway Monitory & Advisory System) tow trucks came about 5 minutes after the call. I was shocked with how efficient they are. Kudos to them."
Even though only one tyre was cut and one rim cracked, Nawawi had to replace the entire set.
via Mothership reader
The cost came up to about S$1,400.
The accident was frustrating for Nawawi as the time it took to repair his car could have been spent with his son, who was in hospital.
Nawawi added that he is seeking compensation from the Malaysian truck driver's company.
via Mothership reader
He said: "All the affected drivers got a photo of the Malaysian truck driver's particulars and the company he’s from."
All photos by Mothership reader