Elderly man who got hit by cab 'flew into the air': Witness

A Healthway Medical Group (HMG) vice-president was taking a phone call outside a cafe when he saw an elderly man hurtle through the air in a Victoria Street accident on Tuesday.

Mr Kelvin Chen, 32, said: "I saw a man crossing the road when a Trans-Cab, which was being driven pretty fast, hit him in the middle lane.

"There was this bang and the man literally flew into the air and over the cab."

Thankfully, there was a bounty of medical expertise at the nearby Artistry Cafe, which was hosting an annual dinner for NeuGlow The Aesthetic Doctors. HMG owns the aesthetic practice.

Mr Chen and Dr Liew Kou Chuen, 49, who was also outside taking a call, jumped into action.

Dr Liew carried the unconscious man to the side of the road, while Mr Chen rushed to his car to grab his first aid kit, and also called an ambulance and the police.

Dr Liew immediately checked the elderly man's pulse and breathing, which were all right.

He said: "It was worrying because he was unconscious and there was a pool of blood forming on the ground due to the cut on the back of his head.

"There was nothing we could do except stop the bleeding and wait for the ambulance to come."

RUSHED OUT

Two nurses and another doctor also rushed out to help.

Besides the cut on the back of the head, he was also bleeding from his brow and nose, said nurse Goo Yin Chew, 33.

Dr Liew said: "The nurses, Mr Chen and myself aided the injured man.

"While the nurses cut and folded the bandages, I applied pressure on the back of his head and held his hand, trying to calm him down and saying that the ambulance would come soon.

"I was just waiting to do CPR on him as he wasn't conscious even after a few minutes. Luckily after that, he was conscious, but disoriented and tried to move."

After about 10 minutes, an ambulance arrived and took the man to hospital.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they received a call at about 8.35pm on Tuesday about an accident at the junction of Victoria Street and Arab Street.

SCDF said an ambulance was dispatched to the scene and an elderly man with head injuries was taken to the Singapore General Hospital while conscious.

Madam Goo had this piece of advice for those wanting to help during such accidents: "Look out for any danger first before you help out and immediately call for an ambulance.

"If the victim is bleeding, use anything you can, such as a piece of cloth or clothing to stop the bleeding."

Ms Joan Tan, 28, a marketing manager who was at the dinner, said: "Some people might think that aesthetic doctors know only about aesthetics, but they also know what other regular doctors know, like how do attend to the injured."

Police said investigations are still ongoing.

This article was first published on Dec 31, 2015.
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