Bus slams into double-decker in Orchard; 17 passengers hurt

Feb 13, 2008

Bus slams into double-decker in Orchard; 17 passengers hurt

MR SHAFII Kasmani, 61, was on his way to Serangoon with a friend to grab some breakfast yesterday morning but they never got around to it in the end. The SBS service 65 they were on slammed into the rear of another bus at a bus stop outside Le Meridien Hotel in Orchard Road at about 8.45am. The bus in front, a double-decker SBS service 111, was stationary at that time. Seventeen passengers suffered minor injuries and were taken to the Singapore General Hospital. All of them were passengers on service 65. According to an SBS Transit spokesman, both bus drivers were not injured. She also said that except for one passenger who was warded and another still under observation, the rest received outpatient treatment. The spokesman said SBS will undertake all medical bills arising from this incident and the company is in contact with the passengers to offer help if necessary. About 80 other passengers from both buses were transferred to other buses to resume their journeys. SBS said the bus captain has been taken off duties pending the outcome of its investigations. Mr Shafii told The Straits Times that he was not too badly hurt. However, due to the impact of the collision, a piece of skin, roughly the size of a cellphone, peeled off from his left leg and his right knee felt sore. HELP FOR THE INJURED: Passenger Shafii Kasmani had a piece of skin peeled off from his left leg and he was walking with a visible limp. SBS said it will pay for all medical bills arising from the incident. -- ST PHOTO: SHAHRIYA YAHAYA Mr Shafii, a hotel security officer, had just finished his midnight shift before boarding the bus. 'My friend and I were talking when there was a sudden jerk and a hard knock. There was a loud bang. I was quite shocked.' The father of three children walked with a visible limp as he left the hospital after being treated. 'I can walk, but only slowly. I need to drag my feet as my legs feel painful.' His friend, a man in his 40s, had a slight bruise on his elbow and decided not to see a doctor. Mr Jack Guna, 53, who works at a tailor shop near the accident site, said: 'The double-decker bus in front seemed fine. The windscreen of the single-decker bus behind looked cracked but it was not shattered.' Mr Richard Boon, 58, who mans an electronics store there, said there was no traffic congestion.