8 Samaritans, 1 branded belt to save a life

When he got dressed that morning and slipped on his designer belt, he had no idea that he would use it to save another man's life just hours later.

Staff Sergeant Lim, 33, used the Braun Buffel belt as a tourniquet to stem the profuse bleeding from Muhammad Farhan Yusof's right thigh.

The police officer's full name and designation cannot be revealed due to the nature of his work.

That day in May 2012, technician Muhammad Farhan was riding his motorcycle on the Pan-Island Expressway towards Tuas when he slammed into an SMRT bus before the Jalan Anak Bukit exit.

His right leg was severed above the knee.

The police officer was one of eight motorists who stopped to help Mr Muhammad Farhan, 26, as he lay bleeding on the road.

Now that the technician has recovered, he is intent on meeting the people who stopped to help him.

On Monday, he met Staff Sgt Lim, who recounted what he did.

"Farhan lost part of his right leg in the accident. I used the belt and tightened it around his thigh to stop the bleeding," said the police officer, who had just completed 10 hours of work and was thinking of his duties for the next day when he drove past the accident scene.

"Blood was flowing out steadily, like water from a hose. He was losing a lot of blood and could have bled to death."

The police officer then slipped off his belt, which he said cost a few hundred dollars, and tightened it around the motorcyclist's thigh.

Because the wound was still bleeding, Staff Sgt Lim used bandages taken from the bus' first-aid kit and tied them near the younger man's groin. Only then did the blood stop spurting.

Staff Sgt Lim, who did not get his belt back, said: "By then, all the rescuers' clothes and hands were red with blood. But, as Singaporeans, I think it is our duty to help one another."

An ambulance arrived 10 minutes later and Mr Muhammad Farhan was rushed to the National University Hospital.

The technician, who now moves around with the aid of a prosthetic leg, has already met three of the eight good Samaritans who helped him.

Besides Staff Sgt Lim, he has already expressed his gratitude to full-time national serviceman Mohamed Kader Yousufdeen, 22, and MediaCorp Suria actor Muhammad Nurhafi, 24.

"I would really like to meet the remaining five for coming together to save my life. I think I wouldn't be here if they didn't help me," he said.

This article by The New Paper was published in MyPaper, a free, bilingual newspaper published by Singapore Press Holdings.