SINGAPORE - A
78-year-old woman was killed after a taxi reversed into her at high
speed at a carpark in Bedok North Street 2 on Wednesday (March
30).
Madam Poh Ah
Gin was collecting cardboard behind a coffeeshop at Block 123, when
a 64-year-old taxi driver lost control of his Hyundai Sonata,
mounted the kerb and crashed into her twice. Police said that the
driver has been arrested for causing death by a negligent act.
A Singapore
Civil Defence Force spokesman said it was alerted to the accident
at about 3.50pm and dispatched an ambulance. The woman, who was
single and lived alone, was pronounced dead by paramedics on
scene.
When The
Straits Times arrived at about 6pm, the taxi had halted to a stop
in front of a maroon car and silver van, which were both badly
damaged by the impact. A lorry and two other vans parked behind
these vehicles were also damaged.
Eyewitnesses
said that they heard several tyre screeches and loud bangs at about
3pm. Mr Lim Kah Hong, a tow truck driver who about 20 metres away,
said that he ran towards the taxi after he heard a deafening
screech followed by a crash.
"I shouted at
the taxi driver to stop, because I realised he had hit the woman.
But his car continued to lunge back and forth, and he hit her
again. She had collapsed onto the ground by then," the 35-year-old
said.
He had
instinctively reached out to open the taxi door to grab the car
key, but he was unable to stop the engine as the vehicle was moving
at a high speed.
A 62-year-old
retiree, who wanted to be known as Mrs Lim, said that she saw two
female doctors rush out from a nearby clinic.
One
immediately performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation, while the
other placed an oxygen mask on the woman.
The impact had
caused the woman to bleed severely from her knees and stomach.
A few of her
siblings and relatives were seen at the scene talking to police
officers, as more than 50 curious onlookers gathered nearby. Her
younger brother would only say that she is the third child of 11
children.
The taxi
driver's 27-year-old son, who wanted to be known only as Sam, said
that his father was ending his shift and had been trying to park
his car, when it suddenly surged backwards and hit the old
woman.
He said: "My
father is in a state of shock now. He doesn't know how it happened
and he could only tell me that there was a problem with the
car."
He added that
his father has been driving a taxi for more than 20 years and has
not had any traffic offences.
Neighbours
said that the elderly woman had lived in a three-room flat on the
ninth floor of the block for more than 20 years. However, she would
often keep to herself.
Said a
50-year-old neighbour, who wanted to be known as Madam Sia: "I feel
sad for the lady. Sometimes she would get lost trying to return to
her unit, so I would guide her."
All the
vehicles involved were towed away at 7pm.
