Huge tree falls on car in Hill Street
PUBLISHED ONApril 26, 2015 9:00 AMByHoe Pei Shan
He was waiting in his car at a traffic junction in Hill Street amid a downpour, when a sudden gust of wind shook the vehicle.
Seconds later, there was a loud crunching sound, as a large roadside yellow flame tree fell on his car, shattering the rear windscreen, cracking the front and denting its roof.
The driver, who wanted to be known only as Justin, managed a lucky escape with his passenger as both were in the front seats.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force was alerted to the incident yesterday at about 4.30pm, and said that no casualties were reported.
Two chainsaws were used to remove parts of the tree, which had fallen across all four lanes on one side of Hill Street, and over the road divider into a lane on the other side of the road.
National Parks Board (NParks) officers later oversaw the tree's removal, and were seen assessing its roots, which were completely ripped out of the earth.
"We feel very lucky that the car didn't cave in and we are not hurt," said Justin, a 28-year-old working in the finance industry.
"We'll be cautious driving in bad weather in the future, but I'm not sure if we can avoid such incidents because there are trees all around our roads."
Mr Khai Hanzah, a chef at a restaurant close to where the tree had stood, said that he had seen three other fallen trees on his way to work at about 5pm.
"Luckily, this tree did not fall the other way, onto the building of our restaurant, or more people could have been hit," said the 32-year-old.
NParks said it is investigating the matter.
hpeishan@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on April 26, 2015.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.