Members of public help driver & passengers out of van after it flipped in accident on TPE

After a van flipped on its side on the Tampines Expressway (TPE), passing motorists stopped to help the driver and passengers out.

The van got into an accident with a car along the TPE towards the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) around 2:30am on Feb. 13, the police said in response to Mothership's queries.

Besides the 38-year-old driver, three passengers aged between 31 and 44 were also in the van.

All four of them, along with the 50-year-0ld driver of the car, were conveyed conscious to Sengkang General Hospital and Changi General Hospital.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Rescue

According to dash cam footage from a witness's car, shared on the SG Road Vigilante Facebook group, the van was lying on its right side in the aftermath.

The witness said in the caption that the car, a red Tesla, rear-ended the van, which was carrying workers.

The top of the van appeared badly dented.

The video shows a group of at least six people helping to rescue those who were trapped in the van before the ambulance and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) arrived.

They pushed open the passenger door, and supported the occupants as they climbed out of the van one by one.

The witness, who claimed to be one of those who provided assistance, said it was "truly heartening to see everyone coming together immediately, offering a helping hand without hesitation during such a critical moment".

The driver's gratitude

A man who said he was the van driver commented under the video to express his thanks to the people who helped him and his passengers.

Calling them "angels", the driver recalled that they had approached and offered help very soon after the accident.

"I don't remember waiting at all before you guys came," he wrote. "As soon as I figured out to unbuckle my seatbelt, one of you gestured to me if I could open the front passenger door to get out. Which I did, without much problem, although still shaken from the crash."

He shared that he had minor injuries — abrasions on his foot and elbow, and whiplash from the impact — and wished for speedy recoveries for any injuries his three passengers had.

As for the driver of the car, he was rescued by the SCDF using hydraulic rescue equipment, the SCDF said.

Top images from SGRV/Facebook