Accountant in 5-vehicle collision claims he was injured but got sent to garage instead

An accountant who was injured in a multi-vehicle collision while taking a GrabHitch ride said that he was brought to a garage instead of a hospital.

The incident happened on the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) towards Tuas, near the Jalan Bahar exit on April 3 at around 7am.

A total of five vehicles were involved, including three cars, one private hired vehicle and a van.

Mr Xie, 30, told Shin Min Daily News that he was on a GrabHitch ride at the time of the accident. 

There was also another passenger on board. 

He said:

“A car in front of us suddenly stopped. To avoid crashing into it, the driver of the second car and our GrabHitch driver jammed on their brakes.

“A van driver and another car driver behind us could not react in time and resulted in an accident, like a bunch of dominos. “

Mr Xie said that the impact of the collision was considerable, and the car they were on was damaged.

He continued:

“I felt pain in my chest and back. I couldn’t breathe and needed to lie down. 

“Our GrabHitch driver also suffered injuries on his knee and pelvic region. 

“A female passenger in the van was bleeding from her face.”

Mr Xie revealed that a man claiming to be an employee at a garage arrived at the scene after about 15 minutes. 

“He gave me his name card and said he could help us with the insurance claims.

“However, he told us that we needed to head back to his garage first, and would bring us to a clinic later.”

Mr Xie said that he was subsequently brought to a garage in Kaki Bukit.

Throughout the journey there, Mr Xie kept feeling that something was off, and he asked the employee why he wouldn’t send him to a hospital first. 

Mr Xie’s father later called and spoke to the employee, upon which, they headed for Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Mr XIe’s father told reporters that no matter the scale of the accident, the most important thing is to send the injured victims to a hospital for treatment first.

He added:

“Some injuries cannot be detected by the eye and must be handled by a medical team.

“The man didn’t wait for the police or ambulance, and immediately brought my injured son elsewhere. 

“We have reported the case to the police, and may pursue legal actions.”

In response to media queries, a police spokesman confirmed that a report was lodged, and investigations are ongoing. 

Shin Min Daily News later contacted said employee. 

The employee said that he had introduced himself to Mr Xie and asked him, as well as the GrabHitch driver if they needed help in handling their insurance claims.

He stressed that he never forced them to do anything, and had only arranged for the tow truck to come with approval from the driver.

The employee also claimed that the victim looked to be in stable condition, and could walk and talk normally.

As the nearest clinic would only be open at 9.30am, he thus decided to handle the claims procedures first. 

He said:

“During the trip to the garage, the passengers did not only indicate that they were feeling unwell. If they had informed me, I would have immediately sent them to a hospital.”

He also added that one of the passengers later told him that he wasn’t feeling well. 

After speaking to the passenger’s father, he immediately conveyed him to a hospital for treatment.