Motorcyclist falls 6m into canal

Seeing a motorcycle wedged between railings at a canal was not what he was expecting at 3am yesterday.

What was even more shocking was seeing the motorcyclist lying at the bottom of the canal.

The force of the impact was so great, some of the railings were dislodged.

And the biker cursed and swore in great pain, even as rescuers tried to pull him out of the canal.

A motorist who wanted to be known only as Mr Rahman, 27, who is self-employed, was driving along Seletar West Link yesterday morning when he saw a crowd gathering near the wrecked bike.

When he stepped out of his car to investigate, he saw the motorcyclist lying in the canal, which is about 6m deep.

Mr Rahman told The New Paper: "The man was screaming in pain.

"He kept shouting 'Ah pain, pain!'"

The biker, a man in his 20s, was flung into the canal after crashing into its railing.

While turning into Seletar West Link from Yishun Avenue 1, he lost control of his motorbike.

He barrelled 20m across the junction and rammed into the canal railing, reported Chinese evening daily Shin Min Daily News.

The impact sent him flying into the canal wall before he landed below.

Mr Rahman told TNP: "He could still move the upper part of his body and he was waving his hands and cursing and swearing about the pain."

Taxi driver Seah Hiang Boon, 52, who also drove past the scene, described the accident as scary.

"I've seen a lot of accidents, but this is one of the more serious ones.

"He must have been going quite fast because the railing was completely bent. My legs felt numb looking at him lying there."

Both witnesses told TNP that shortly after the accident, a crowd of around 40 onlookers had gathered, but no one dared to enter the canal.

Mr Rahman estimates that the water level was only about ankle-high.

But the depth of the canal was a concern for Mr Seah.

He said: "It's so deep and there are no stairs. Even if we got in, how do we get out?"

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the accident involving a motorcyclist at about 2.55am.

SCDF officers rescued him using a ladder, a stretcher and a rollgliss, a harness that allows rescuers to evacuate the victim.

ABRASIONS

SCDF said that the motorcyclist was conscious and was later taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

TNP understands he went through surgery yesterday.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Mr Seah described the rescue process, saying: "More than 10 officers climbed down using the ladder.

"They put the man on a stretcher and gave him an oxygen mask. Then they pulled him up using a pulley and put him in the ambulance."

When TNP visited the accident site yesterday evening, there were bare patches on the grass lining the side of the canal.

There were also faint tyre marks leading towards the affected railing, which was bent.

Mr Seah told TNP that the stretch along Seletar West Link is prone to accidents.

"This is the third time I've seen an accident on this road, but this one is the worst. "I thought he was dead.

"Before I left, I said a little prayer for him and I'm glad he's okay now."

ngodwin@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on May 02, 2015.
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