A 71-year-old private-hire driver whose car was struck by a large tree branch on the East Coast Parkway (ECP), says he had to comfort the passenger he was ferrying at the time, even as he was taken to hospital after his blood pressure spiked.
The branch shattered his windscreen and dented the roof of his car, and may well have claimed his life – and he is now facing insurance issues as well.
Mr Fang (transliterated) told Shin Min Daily News reported that he was driving toward the city near the Ford Road exit at around 1.35pm on Nov 29, when the branch fell onto his vehicle.
Authorities say that a tall vehicle travelling in the first lane struck a rain tree (Samanea saman) branch, causing it to snap and fall onto trailing vehicles in the first and second lanes.
The accident involved a trailer and five cars, with three people – Mr Fang, his female passenger and another driver – sent to hospital.
‘I was completely stunned’
At the time of the accident, Mr Fang noticed a trailer driving at high speed on the ECP. “The other vehicle was quite tall. I saw it break a branch off a nearby tree, causing the branch to fall.”
