Jurong West schoolboy hit by car after road dash

A schoolboy was hit by a car and sent hurtling through the air after he ran across the road, without looking right or left.

The accident, caught by an in-car camera, has gone viral.

Thankfully, the boy survived without any serious injuries, a spokesman for his school told The New Paper last night.

The incident happened near Block 827, Jurong West Street 81, last Thursday.

But the video was only shared on Tuesday and immediately caught on, fuelling a discussion online on road safety for children. (See report, below.)

The school spokesman told TNP: "The pupil has received treatment in hospital and is resting well at home. The school's primary concern is the well-being of the pupil, and we are working with his parents to ensure that the necessary support and assistance are given."

The dramatic minute-long video was shared by Facebook user Suzy Adorabella Lyliana. TNP understands that she obtained the original video from Instagram, but her relationship with the car driver is unclear.

ON VIDEO: (From top) The boy dashes onto the road. He is hit by a car and sent hurtling through the air. He lands into the path of an oncoming bus but the bus driver stops in time. Passers-by later help the boy off the road. PHOTOS: FACEBOOK/ROADS.SG

In the video, the boy is seen looking straight ahead, apparently unaware of an oncoming car as he suddenly dashes onto the road.

The impact sends him hurtling about a metre through the air, along with his schoolbag and spectacles, into the path of a bus. Luckily, the bus driver manages to stop in time.

After a pause, the boy tries to get up, but appears unable to. He crawls towards his bag and is quickly attended to by concerned onlookers.

The bus driver also runs to the boy's aid. The car driver does not appear to get out of the car.

At the end of the clip, a woman and an elderly man are seen escorting the boy off the road.

The boy left the scene of the crash without getting any immediate medical assistance, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

Its spokesman said they received a call for ambulance assistance at about 5pm. An ambulance was sent, but the paramedic was informed by the caller that the boy had left.

Like many parents who watched the video, Ms Marie Johnson, a mother of two, was shocked.

Ms Johnson, 55, whose boys are now in their 20s, said: "When (my children) were in kindergarten, I took both of them to school. I always taught them to use the pedestrian crossing. No matter what, they had to use the pedestrian crossing even if it meant they would be late for school.

"Parents play an important role in teaching their children from young how to use proper pedestrian guidelines. Read them the news of road accidents and point out to them the mistakes that caused the accident."

The school spokesman added: "The school organises assembly talks to raise our pupils' road safety awareness. We will continue to emphasise road safety education as part of the school's effort in ensuring safety of pupils."