A 73-year-old woman died after she was hit by a bus in Chinatown while apparently crossing the road. She was taken unconscious to hospital, where she later died from her injuries. A 41-year-old bus captain is assisting with investigations.
The accident occurred at 11.40am on Monday (2 November) along South Bridge Road towards Tanjong Pagar.
TikTok user “WESLEYWES615” uploaded a video of the scene after the accident. It showed a bus with a cracked windscreen and paramedics performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a person.
Responding to queries, the Singapore Police Force confirmed that it had been alerted to an accident involving a bus and a pedestrian. A 73-year-old woman was taken unconscious to hospital, where she later died from her injuries. A 41-year-old male bus captain is assisting with investigations.
SMRT Buses deputy managing director Vincent Gay told Lianhe Zaobao (LHZB) that a service 61 bus was travelling along South Bridge Road when it hit a pedestrian who was crossing the road between vehicles.
He added that SMRT had contacted the woman’s family to offer assistance and support. No other injuries had been reported, and all passengers were safely transferred to another bus to continue their journeys after the accident.
Pedestrians still risk crossing busy stretch of road
When LHZB journalists visited the stretch of road on Tuesday (3 November) afternoon, traffic was heavy across its four lanes. Even so, many people were jaywalking between South Bridge Road and Upper Hokien Street.
In just ten minutes, at least 15 people, including office workers, older people and tourists, were seen jaywalking.
A pedestrian overhead bridge near the accident site connects to Hong Lim Complex, but only the end at the complex has a lift.
There is a signalised pedestrian crossing at the junction of South Bridge Road and Pickering Street, about 100 metres from the accident site, but many people still choose to risk jaywalking.
The woman is believed to have been crossing South Bridge Road from near Upper Hokien Street towards the shophouses opposite when she was struck by the bus.
People working near the accident site told LHZB that they heard a loud bang on Monday morning and went to investigate, only to find a woman lying on the road.
Eyewitness Aisha, a 47-year-old clinic assistant, told Shin Min Daily News that she saw an older woman lying face down beside a bus, apparently unconscious.
She immediately called the police. Doctors from clinics near the accident site came forward to help and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the injured woman.
“At first, about two or three doctors were trying to resuscitate her, and others joined in later. Civil defence personnel continued CPR when they arrived, for about ten minutes, I think.”
Investigations are ongoing.
