JB trip gone wrong: Driver causes deaths of 2 friends while picking them up in Toa Payoh

What could've been a getaway for a group of friends turned into a horrific and tragic accident.

An elderly man driving his SUV to fetch his friends in Toa Payoh for a road trip to Johor Bahru ended up unintentionally causing their deaths, reported Lianhe Zaobao on Wednesday (Oct 11).

The 84-year-old had slowed down his vehicle to pick up his friends, but one of them tried to open the car door before the driver came to a complete stop.

In a panic, the driver tried to step on the brakes but instead slammed the accelerator, resulting in the accident as both friends fell to the ground.

His friends, 76 and 83 years old, fell at two different locations - the middle of the road and the entrance of a parking lot.

The fall caused them to injure their heads, with one even bleeding so profusely that a pool of blood formed on the road, Zaobao reported.

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Although a passing nurse rendered first aid and paramedics arrived soon after and applied CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), both injured remained unconscious.

A vendor at Toa Payoh Lorong 8 Market & Hawker Centre opposite the accident site told Zaobao that the driver frequented the food centre to drink coffee with his two friends, and that the trio are familiar faces to him.

Speaking with Zaobao, coffee stall employee Asani said that there were no other vehicles on the road when the accident occurred.

There was a loud impact sound, and Asani looked up to see the vehicle colliding with an electric notice board.

Asani then approached the incident location and saw two people lying on the ground, bleeding.

Another eyewitness also told Zaobao that medical staff had attempted to resuscitate the two elderly men for about 10 minutes to no avail.

Both men were conveyed unconscious to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where they died, the police told Straits Times. The 84-year-old driver was arrested and is assisting with investigations. 

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khooyihang@asiaone.com

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