PIE chain collision: Female pillion rider, 20, dies after she is pinned under bus

When she saw a motorcyclist lying injured on the ground, her first thought was to answer his desperate calls for help.

Miss Kyna Joe, 22, told her boyfriend to stop his motorcycle so she could get off to render assistance.

The victim, a Singaporean man, 22, had been hurt after a chain collision on Wednesday involving his bike, a bus, a lorry and two cars on the Pan-Island Expressway in the direction of Tuas before the Bukit Timah Expressway exit.

When he asked about his girlfriend, Miss Kyna realised that there was another victim, who was pinned under the bus.

Ms Nur Diana Lim, 20, who was riding pillion, later died from her injuries after she was taken unconscious to National University Hospital (NUH).

The police said they were alerted to the five-vehicle accident at about 10pm.

The New Paper understands that the male rider suffered multiple injuries and was conscious when taken to NUH. There were no other casualties.

Investigations are ongoing and no arrests have been made.

Videos posted on social media show several emergency vehicles at the scene, with Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel working to rescue the woman from underneath a Causeway Link bus on the leftmost lane of the expressway.

Ms Kyna, a freelance massage therapist, told TNP yesterday that she and her boyfriend were heading to his workplace in Woodlands when they saw the accident.

She said the two cars and the lorry were travelling in front of the motorcycle, with the bus behind it.

The driver of the first car slammed on her brakes, resulting in the chain collision, The Straits Times reported.

Each of the vehicles behind the first car then hit the rear of the vehicle in front, resulting in a chain collision.

When the motorcycle hit the rear of the lorry, Miss Nur Diana was flung off and landed in the path of the bus.

Ms Kyna said she saw the bus swerve to the left.

"We didn't know what had happened at first," she added.

Ms Kyna said she went to check on Ms Nur Diana's condition before returning to tend to the boyfriend.

"People said she was conscious and breathing but she could not move... Everybody tried to talk to her, tried to keep her alive and tried to communicate with her so she wouldn't black out," she said.

Ms Kyna said about 20 people had stopped to help the victims and direct traffic, as the accident had caused a massive jam.

Some tried to use a jack to lift the bus to free Ms Lim but to no avail.

Ms Kyna said: "I'm now scared to ride on a bike. Once I reached (my boyfriend's) workplace, I was traumatised. I cried a lot. I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about the girl."

In another fatal accident, a 61-year-old pedestrian died after he was hit by a Comfort taxi yesterday morning.

The police said they were alerted to the accident at Upper Thomson Road towards Thomson Road at 6.30am, and the victim was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.

Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao reported the victim's name as Mr Tang Cheng Ming, and said the accident occurred close to a traffic junction.

It is not clear if Mr Tang was using the pedestrian crossing when he was hit.

The cabby, a 61-year-old man, was arrested for causing death by a negligent act. Investigations are ongoing.

ComfortDelGro Corporation's group corporate communications officer Tammy Tan told the Straits Times that the company was sorry, and that its priority will be to reach out to the victim's next-of-kin.

The cabby has had his hiring agreement terminated with immediate effect, Ms Tan said.