'My first instinct was to jump out with my son': Woman stops taxi after driver allegedly lost consciousness on ECP

A woman travelling with her six-year-old son in a taxi was forced to act quickly after the driver allegedly lost consciousness while driving along the East Coast Parkway (ECP).

The incident took place at around 12:45pm on Jul. 6.

What happened

In a TikTok video posted later the same day, Winnie Lee recounted how she and her son were travelling from Jewel Changi Airport to Crawford Lane to meet her husband and elder son for lunch.

Speaking to Mothership, Lee said she had initially tried to book a taxi using the ComfortDelGro Zig app but was unsuccessful.

She then decided to walk to Terminal 1 to join the taxi queue instead.

Lee said when she first boarded the taxi, the driver was rather chatty, and they talked about her difficulty booking a cab through the app.

However, while travelling along the ECP, the taxi began veering towards the road shoulder, she recalled.

At first, Lee said she thought overgrown bushes were brushing against the taxi as they had not been trimmed.

"He corrected the car back into the lane, but it only lasted for a few minutes," she said.

She then noticed through the rear-view mirror that the driver appeared to be yawning and looked "a bit sleepy".

Concerned, she decided to talk to him and asked if he was feeling all right.

The driver replied that he was fine, and Lee suggested he pull over to rest.

He then responded by asking: "Where do I stop?"

At that point, Lee said the driver became unresponsive.

"I think he actually became unconscious," she said, adding that she suspected he may have suffered a stroke or heart attack.

The taxi began drifting towards the centre divider, brushing against the bushes at the road shoulder, she said.

Lee said her first instinct was to jump out of the vehicle with her son.

However, she later decided to force open the passenger door, hoping it would create enough friction against the roadside barriers to slow the taxi down.

"Since I didn't know how to drive, I had no idea what buttons to press to stop the car. I had to forcefully open the car door so it would create friction against the metal railing in the middle of the ECP," she said.

Thankfully, the taxi eventually came to a gradual stop.

A passer-by helped Lee and her son out of the vehicle before they called for an ambulance, which Lee said arrived about 10 to 15 minutes later.

Lee added that her son had slept through the incident and was unaware of what had happened.

@winnie.loves Still abit shaken from what happen just now. The driver became unconcious while the car was still in motion on the expressway😭😭 #storytime #accident ♬ News, news, seriousness, tension(1077866) - Lyrebirds music

Driver receiving medical attention: ComfortDelGro

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force confirmed that they received a call for assistance along ECP towards Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) at about 12:50pm that day.

They conveyed one person to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Separately, a ComfortDelGro spokesperson confirmed that the driver had been taken to the hospital and was receiving medical treatment.

"Our thoughts are with him and his family at this time, and we kindly request that their privacy be respected," said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson added that the taxi had been brought to a safe stop and that the company has been in contact with the passengers to offer support.

"We recognise that this would have been an unsettling experience for the passengers and are in contact with them to extend our concern and offer any necessary support."