Usually, Lucky Plaza is a place of good cheer during the festive season.
Unfortunately, tragedy struck just three days before the new year when two Filipino maids were killed in a horrific crash at Lucky Plaza.
Seven Filipinas were having a picnic outside Lucky Plaza yesterday when a black Honda Vezel suddenly headed towards them at a high speed.
According to The New Paper, passers-by shouted at them to move but it was too late; the car crashed into them and ploughed through a metal railing surrounding the mall.
The horror crash left two women dead and four others with injuries. Police arrested a 64-year-old driver for dangerous driving causing death.
So, what exactly happened?
New Year’s Picnic at Lucky Plaza
According to The Straits Times, videos circulated online after the accident showed groups of people celebrating the holiday season on the pavement in Nutmeg Road, wishing one another “Happy New Year” in Tagalog.
One eyewitness, Mr Sari, told TNP that the car was originally at the drop-off point of Lucky Plaza Apartment in Nutmeg Road before it turned into Jalan Kayu Manis – a side road – to make a U-turn.
The driver then lost control of his car when he was exiting the cul-de-sac, said Mr Sari.
Tragedy
Moments later, the black car slammed into the group of seven Filipinas. The car then plunged into a carpark service road below, taking four women with it and pinning one of them under it.
According to eyewitness Mr Swamy, a worker from India, he and three friends heard a loud sound and rushed to the scene where they saw a woman in red trapped underneath the car. They, along with two others who came from inside the carpark, helped to lift the car to free the trapped woman.
The rescued woman lost consciousness, so a bystander performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on her, he said.
Other passers-by also helped check on the other victims.
Injuries
Mr Swamy said that the woman who was pulled from underneath the car had a gaping wound on her head which was bleeding profusely.
There were six casualties in total. Four women, aged 37 to 56, were conveyed conscious to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
The other two women, aged 41 and 50, were unconscious when conveyed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), where they later succumbed to their injuries.
Not taken to the nearest hospital
Many found it odd, however, that the six injured women were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital instead of Mount Elizabeth Hospital, which was located across Lucky Plaza.
According to ST, in cases involving severe and multiple trauma patients, SCDF emergency ambulances are supposed to convey the injured to the nearest accident and emergency department where they are “equipped to deal with such cases with the necessary resources, equipment and medical support by emergency-medicine specialists.”
The driver was working for Grab
TNP reports that the driver arrested was a private-hire driver for Grab. However, he was not on any job at the time and has since been suspended on its platform.
Grab said it is deeply saddened by the accident and is assisting the authorities in the investigation.
All victims were domestic workers
In a statement last night, the Centre for Domestic Employees said its officers found out that all six victims were Filipino domestic workers.
They said they were distressed to learn of the accident and will be working with the authorities and Philippine Embassy to render assistance.
“We will be getting in touch with the employers and next of kin to find out the support they require and stand ready to render assistance,” it added.
“Our prayers and thoughts are with the victims, and deepest condolences to the deceased’s families.”
Goody Feed offers its deepest condolences to the victims’ families and hopes that the four injured women will be able to make a full recovery.
