A taxi driver crashed into two other taxis, flipping one over, and slowing down traffic in Jalan Bukit Merah yesterday.
The driver of a blue Comfort taxi was attempting to exit a carpark at Block 105, Jalan Bukit Merah. But he was stuck at the gantry for a while as the barrier did not rise for him to exit. He then decided to reverse and move forward again in order for the reader to detect his in-vehicle unit.
But, in the meantime, a carpark attendant had spotted his difficulty and raised the barrier for him.
The cabby moved to exit but forgot that he was in reverse gear, leading him to back into another taxi behind him. Then he panicked and threw the gear to forward, sending his car accelerating towards the main road.
The 65-year-old driver of the taxi which the first cabby backed into, who gave his name to Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao as Mr Huang, said: "He was reversing very quickly. I thought he would stop when he hit me, but instead he sped forward into the main road and hit another taxi."
The speed at which the first taxi was travelling at caused it to crash through the road divider, splitting it apart. It also clipped the rear left wheel of a Prime Taxi cab travelling on the main road, causing the latter to flip over on the rightmost lane.
Its driver, Mr Lin Ji Quan, 45, had to crawl out of his overturned taxi and suffered scratches to his body.
According to Wanbao, he was seen nursing his bruised right hand.
But he refused to be taken to hospital and stood shaking his head by his taxi, with its cracked windshield and loose change scattered on the road.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it was alerted to the accident and deployed an ambulance, a fire engine and two fire bikes, along with other vehicles. No one was taken to hospital.
The police said no injuries were reported and that investigations are ongoing.
About an hour after the incident, a lorry crashed into a small van at the same site. It is believed that the lorry driver was distracted by the accident scene. No one was injured.
