Two business travellers from China were injured after a Mercedes ended up on the roadside outside Esplanade Mall on Wednesday night, 16 September.
Police confirmed that the accident along Raffles Avenue involved a car and two pedestrians. A 40-year-old woman and a 41-year-old man were taken conscious to hospital, while the 42-year-old male driver was arrested for suspected drink-driving.
Police investigations are ongoing.
Woman Reportedly Suffered Spinal Fracture
The accident happened at around 10pm outside Esplanade Mall.
According to Shin Min Daily News, a witness saw the woman lying on the ground after the collision while members of the public went forward to help and called for an ambulance.
The 41-year-old male pedestrian, identified in the report only as Mr Zhou, later told the newspaper that he and his colleagues had been walking towards a bus stop when the car approached.
He said his female colleague, who had been walking ahead of him, was struck and thrown towards him. The impact caused him to hit a roadside stone block.
Mr Zhou said he sustained relatively minor injuries. According to him, doctors told his colleague that she had suffered a spinal fracture and would require surgery. This information on her injuries came from Mr Zhou rather than an official hospital statement.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force told the newspaper that both injured pedestrians were taken to Singapore General Hospital.
Travellers Had Arrived in Singapore That Day
Mr Zhou said his group works in the finance and insurance sector and had travelled from China to Singapore for work.
He added that the accident happened on the same day they arrived in Singapore. By the following day, he had been discharged and was resting at his hotel, while the woman’s family had been informed of her injuries.
This means the pair are more accurately described as business travellers rather than tourists.
Shin Min reporters who went to the scene saw the Mercedes with substantial damage to its front and its airbags deployed.
The newspaper also reported that the vehicle had struck infrastructure beside lighting equipment being prepared for the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix. Workers subsequently inspected the equipment and said the lighting remained operational, although further checks were needed.
Driver Arrested for Suspected Drink-Driving
Police said the 42-year-old driver was arrested for suspected drink-driving and is assisting with investigations.
Witness accounts published by Shin Min made additional claims about the driver’s behaviour after the accident, but police have not announced the results of any alcohol test or made any finding on how the accident occurred.
As of 17 September, investigations remain ongoing.
