Taxi plunges into Toa Payoh drain after collision

A Comfort Delgro taxi plunged into a drain at Toa Payoh yesterday after it collided with another cab from the same company.

The accident, at the junction of Toa Payoh Lorong 4 and Lorong 3, saw the taxi crashing through the kerbside barricade of Toa Payoh Palm Spring at 11.50am.

By the time The New Paper (TNP) team arrived at the scene, half an hour later, the two taxi drivers were being interviewed by the police.

The driver of the taxi that went into the drain told TNP that he and his 77-year-old passenger had been trapped in the car for a short while because the doors had been jammed.

The 56-year-old driver, who declined to be named, said: "We had to force open the front door near the ground to get out."

He said: "The passenger (who was in the front passenger seat) was feeling uncomfortable, but there was no bleeding."

Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told TNP that the woman was sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Both taxi drivers were distraught when they recounted the incident.

One taxi driver said he had been turning out from Toa Payoh Lorong 3 into Toa Payoh Lorong 4 when the accident happened.

BACK WHEEL

The driver, who is in his 60s and declined to be named, said: "I didn't see him. I hit the wheel of his car and he lost control."

The taxi driver of the vehicle that landed in the drain said: "He hit the back wheel and I lost control of my car."

The taxi crashed through the barricades into the drain.

A bystander who was on his way to a nearby market for lunch was shocked by the accident.

Mr Michael Tai, 58, a retiree, who called The New Paper hotline, said: "I saw a crowd of 10 or more people and I was shocked to see a taxi halfway into the drain."

But the chain of accidents did not stop there. A nearby traffic sign was also another "victim".

While a tow truck was removing the taxi, a passing SBS busscraped its side, causing a group of five bystanders to yell.

The bus then reversed, knocking down a "Keep Left" traffic sign.