A TEACHER in her 50s was hit and run over by a lorry yesterday as she was leaving her school.
It is believed that she was walking across a pedestrian crossing at the junction of Pandan Gardens and Jurong Town Hall Road near Commonwealth Secondary School at about 6.30pm when the lorry, which was making a left turn, hit her.
The Straits Times understands that the driver continued on his way, but a car driver who saw what happened caught up with him and signalled him to pull over. The police were called, and the lorry driver is assisting with investigations.
The woman was taken by ambulance to the National University Hospital; she is said to have fractured her ankle and dislocated her shoulder.
This incident comes just after Monday's launch of the inaugural Singapore Road Safety Month. A collaboration among the Singapore Road Safety Council, Traffic Police, government agencies and the Automobile Association of Singapore, the campaign targets heavy vehicle drivers, among others.
Second Minister for Home Affairs S. Iswaran said in a speech then that there have been "a number of accidents involving heavy vehicles" over the past few months.
"These accidents are preventable, and cause needless harm and loss of life," he said.
Earlier this year, brothers Nigel and Donavan Yap, aged 13 and seven respectively, died after being hit by a cement-mixer truck in Tampines.
The Straits Times understands that in yesterday's incident, the lorry driver claimed there was a "blind spot", adding that he did not see the woman and did not hear anything after hitting her.
One of the woman's family members, who declined to be named, said: "We thank God that she is alive, and that there is no injury to her spine or internal organs."
Police investigations are ongoing.
