Fallen tree in Ophir Road pins car down, crushes cabin of pickup truck

SINGAPORE – A large tree fell on Ophir Road on Thursday, pinning a pickup truck and a car and obstructing four out of five lanes of traffic.

The accident occurred at around 7pm amid heavy rain, with several people on social media warning others of a traffic jam.

In one video, a white car and a grey pickup, with its cabin caved in, can be seen.

When The Straits Times arrived at the scene at about 8.20pm, the fallen tree had been cleared from most of the road although two lanes remained obstructed.

Construction workers and Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers were seen on-site.

The pickup was towed away at about 8.30pm.

At about 9.30pm, the tree was cleared and all lanes were reopened to traffic, LTA said.

Responding to ST’s queries, the SCDF said it received a call for assistance at 6.35pm on Thursday. Upon the officers’ arrival, a pickup was seen trapped under a fallen tree.

“With the assistance from a nearby lorry crane, the tree was lifted from the pickup truck, while the SCDF rescued a person trapped at the driver’s seat,” said the SCDF.

The SCDF then took the rescued person to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Before the SCDF arrived, two other people in the front cabin of the pickup and another person in the rear deck of the vehicle had managed to evacuate the truck.

The two people who had evacuated from the front cabin were taken to Raffles Hospital.

– Additional reporting by Michelle Chin