Freak crash leads to ‘free rice’ in Ang Mo Kio

Ang Mo Kio residents get free rice after freak accident. (AFP file photo)
Ang Mo Kio residents get free rice after freak accident. (AFP file photo)

Residents in Ang Mo Kio helped themselves to 'free rice' on Thursday after a freak accident.

In the incident, which occurred at around 12.45pm on Thursday at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4, some 250kgs of rice were spilt onto the road by a lorry, whose driver then invited bystanders to help themselves to the grain.

The lorry driver, Huang Wei Jun, had parked his lorry on a slope near Block 156 to deliver rice to nearby shops.

The 59-year-old said he remembered engaging the handbrake before leaving the vehicle, but for reasons yet unknown, the lorry started rolling backwards, The Straits Times reported

It moved for about 50m, mounted a kerb, and hit a woman and a tree before crashing into a sheltered walkway, where it stopped.

The 35-year-old woman who could not get out of the lorry's way in time was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for treatment.

The accident resulted in five bags of rice spilling onto the ground, each weighing 50kg.

Breaking upon impact with the ground, some S$6,000 worth of high-quality Thai rice spilt onto the road and surrounding grass patch.

The remaining rice at the back of the lorry was transferred to another lorry dispatched by the rice importer.

Huang and a manager from the rice importer also told bystanders to take the spilt rice after police investigations at the site were completed.

More than 10 people then rushed forward, scooping the rice into plastic bags. 42-year-old Madam Qian, a housewife, even used a small spade so that she could scoop up the rice more quickly, reported Lianhe Wanbao.

Some foreign workers also joined in the free-for-all after a while.