Woman, 61, dies after bus runs over her at Woodlands Checkpoint
She tripped and fell while trying to board packed bus
A woman was killed in a bus accident at Woodlands Checkpoint on Monday.
The police were alerted at about 11.40pm to the accident, which happened at the departure bus bay.
According to an eyewitness, who was on the same bus heading to Johor Baru, the woman had fallen while attempting to board the packed vehicle that was pulling out of the bus bay.
She ran after the vehicle, allegedly trying to grab the outstretched hand of another woman on the bus but tripped and fell. She was then run over by the bus.
A police spokesman told The New Paper that a 61-year-old woman was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.
The male driver, 27, is assisting in police investigations.
Chinese-language evening daily Lianhe Wanbao identified the woman as Madam Yong Kong Fong, who worked part-time in a restaurant here.
A Malaysian living in Johor Baru, she was on the way home when the accident occurred.
The witness, who wanted to be known only as Mr Guee, recounted the incident in a Facebook post yesterday.
"I saw the woman running after the bus and falling under the wheels. I shouted at the driver to stop but it was too late," he wrote.
When the driver finally stopped and Mr Guee alighted, he found Madam Yong no longer moving. Neither was she responsive.
Mr Guee, 26, a Malaysian chef based in Singapore, told TNP yesterday: "I was anxious because it was a human life. All I thought of was to quickly inform the police."
Mr Guee said the accident traumatised him.
"I think about it frequently because it was the first time I witnessed something like that. I could not understand why the lady who tried to grab her did not stop her from getting on instead," he said.
A Malaysian who frequently passes through the Woodlands Checkpoint told TNP that buses are often fully packed.
Mr Kong Su Kiong, 33, who was at the checkpoint after the accident occurred, said: "I always see many people squeezing up buses at the customs, even if the buses are already moving off.
"Many people would risk their lives just to get on."
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