SINGAPORE: A crane accident at a Public Utilities Board (PUB) construction site in Sengkang left a van driver hospitalized after it toppled and crushed his vehicle. The incident occurred at the junction of Punggol Road and Compassvale Street on Tuesday, April 9, at approximately 4:55 PM.
The telescopic crawler crane, which was being loaded onto a lowbed trailer truck, unexpectedly fell onto a stationary van parked beside it. The 28-year-old van driver managed to escape and was taken conscious to Sengkang General Hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, the 49-year-old crane operator was arrested, and police investigations are currently underway.
The site, overseen by the contractor Building Construction and crane owned by Ten-League Engineering and Technology, is part of a project to construct a new public sewer. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and PUB have stated that they are cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation and are also working on the recovery of the crane.
Traffic was significantly disrupted following the accident, with police vehicles blocking off the area to manage the peak hour flow, allowing only a single passage for traffic. By 7:50 PM, the crane was still seen lying on its side, its red boom sprawled across the crushed van.
Eyewitnesses described the scene as the van driver narrowly avoided more serious injury by exiting his vehicle just moments before the crane fell. “He was very lucky that he didn’t get seriously hurt,” said Anant Pradhan, a 47-year-old information technology engineer and resident of Sengkang, who witnessed the accident.
Authorities are now meticulously investigating the cause of the crane’s failure to prevent future incidents. Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available. The recovery was carried out in the night to remove the demised crane from the public road.
