Patricia Tan was driving along Punggol Road with her daughter in the backseat yesterday evening when a freak occurrence transpired — a large tree fell directly onto the path of her car.
The tree opposite North Vista Secondary School was already falling by the time the vehicle was in range of the toppling — so she quickly sped up the car, according to Channel NewsAsia. If not for her quick reaction, the tree could have made a direct impact onto the Toyota sedan.
The tree still managed to hit the rear windscreen of the car, which was shattered. When Tan alighted from the car and checked on her 13-year-old daughter, who was in shock, screaming and crying with bits of glass all over her body.
Passersby helped to calm the girl down while waiting for the ambulance. She suffered abrasions on the back of her head and right arm with some bleeding, and was conveyed to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in stable condition.
The tree blocked one of the two lanes of Punggol Road in the aftermath of the impact. The shocked Tan noted that it was strange that the tree even collapsed, considering it was “very dry” and “did not seem to have any bacterial infection”. NParks have been alerted of the incident, and the outcome of their investigations will be revealed to Tan by today.
