Chain collision on PIE: 6 taken to hospital

SINGAPORE - Six people were taken to hospital following a chain collision on the PIE on the evening of April 22.

When contacted, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the accident along the PIE towards Tuas, before the BKE exit, at about 9.40pm.

Three people were taken to National University Hospital and another three were taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

A video of the aftermath of the incident, which was circulated on messaging platform Telegram, shows six cars, including a red Trans-Cab taxi, on the second left-most lane of the expressway.

At least four cars seem to be damaged, with either their boot compartment, car hood, or both, crumpled inwards.

Two left-most lanes of the expressway were blocked due to the accident. Police cars, a fire engine and five ambulances were at the scene, as seen in the video.

The Straits Times has contacted the police for more information.

The multi-car accident on the PIE follows another multi-vehicle accident earlier on April 22.

That incident, which took place in Tampines, resulted in the deaths of a 17-year-old first-year student from Temasek Junior College and a 57-year-old woman who was a passenger in a van belonging to a pest control company.

Traffic accidents claimed the lives of 136 people in 2023, a 25.9 per cent jump from the 108 deaths in 2022, according to the Traffic Police’s (TP) annual statistics report.

They said in a statement that there was a significant increase in the number of accidents where the cause was failure on the part of the motorist to keep a proper lookout, failure to have proper control of the vehicle, or changing of lanes without due care.

TP added: “The traffic statistics show that there are many motorists who have irresponsible driving behaviours.”

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.