Crane from PUB project worksite topples and crushes van in Sengkang, driver sent to hospital, crane operator arrested
The accident took place along Punggol Road, near the junction of Compassvale Street.
SINGAPORE — One person was taken to hospital and another arrested after a crane fell and crushed a van along Punggol Road, near the junction of Compassvale Street, on Tuesday (9 April). According to English daily The Straits Times, the crane was involved in works at a construction site in Sengkang, and had toppled over.
Videos and images on social media showed emergency medical workers at the accident site. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the accident at 4.55pm.
The 28-year-old van driver was taken to Sengkang General Hospital, the SCDF spokesperson said. The Straits Times reported the worksite was a project by PUB, Singapore's national water agency, and operated by contractor Building Construction Co.
The Singapore Police Force said that the crane operator, a 49-year-old man, was later arrested for negligent conduct.
PUB told The Straits Times that a public sewer was being constructed at the site, and said the contractor would be assisting the Ministry of Manpower and the police with investigations.
Driver had gotten out just in time, had just dropped off a child earlier
According to The Straits Times, residents in the area had said that they had heard a loud crash or bang. One eye-witness, Lim, said that he had seen the driver "crawling out" to the opposite side of the road.
Another, Mamz told The Straits Times that the van was used to ferry children to and from school, and that a child had been dropped off just before the accident.
Mamz, who had been behind the van in traffic, also added that the driver had seen the crane toppling when he stopped at a red light, and was out "within a split second".
Other eye-witnesses told the English daily that the crane was being loaded up onto a trailer truck when the incident happened.
There was no one in the crane cabin when the accident took place, The Straits Times reported.
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