Passers-by rush to help elderly man who falls off bicycle; Facebook post on incident goes viral

Mr Khairul Farhan's hand was bloodied from tending to the elderly victim. PHOTO: FACEBOOK/KHAIRUL FARHAN

SINGAPORE - Passers-by rushed to the aid of an elderly man who was bleeding after falling off his bicycle near Pasir Ris Elias Community Club on Friday (July 22) evening.

The incident came to light when Mr Khairul Farhan shared on Facebook about how he and his wife were assisted by others at the scene to care for the victim until an ambulance arrived.

"What happened last night reaffirmed my beliefs that Racial Harmony is still strong in Singapore !" he wrote.

Mr Khairul's post on Saturday, coming two days after Racial Harmony Day was celebrated in Singapore, has been shared more than 2,000 times.

In it, he highlighted the efforts of a Chinese woman who "shielded the victim with an umbrella while asking the old man for his family member's contact", an Indian man who took the fallen bicycle aside, a Malay man who rushed to a clinic nearby to call for a doctor, and a Bangladeshi man who "stood behind me to shield me and the old man from the rain while I was still applying pressure".

On Sunday, Mr Khairul, who is a civilian officer with the Singapore Police Force, was praised by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) for his improvised first aid skills.

He had used a spare shirt to apply direct pressure to the man's head wound, stemming the loss of blood.

"Khairul, we're proud to have such an exemplary member of the Home Team like you. And kudos to all the other #CommunityFirstResponders, including Khairul's wife, who have worked together in one way or another to aid a fellow man in distress," SCDF said in a Facebook post.

An SCDF spokesman said the man was taken to Changi General Hospital. His injuries are believed to be not serious.

Mr Khairul, who shared a picture of his hand which was bloodied from tending to the victim, said he was touched by the unconditional help from fellow Singaporeans and a foreigner.

"What gave me hope that the uncle can make it was that he was even asking for his bicycle when he was being put on the ambulance."

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