Almost a million people crossed the Singapore-Malaysia land borders over the long weekend.
Unfortunately for the Soh family, a trip to Malaysia went south when their car overturned and fell into an oil palm plantation.
Swerved to Avoid Motorcyclist, Car Overturned Instead
On 1 May, the driver Mr Soh was travelling with his wife, younger sister, older sister and her husband.
The family left Singapore at 5am and intended to drive to Johor to spend the long weekend there. The first part of their trip went uneventfully, as they toured a historical Chinese village in Chamek.
On their way to Kluang, Mr Soh suddenly saw a motorcycle overtake a car travelling in the opposite direction, and was speeding straight towards his car. In order to avoid colliding with the motorcyclist, he had to swerve his vehicle.
The car then flipped upside down and landed in some bushes of an oil palm plantation. The family kicked the car windows with all their might till the windows broke, then climbed out of the car.
Thankfully, everyone was relatively unscathed with just a few minor bruises. Officers from Malaysia’s Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department, as well as passers-by, saw the incident unfurl and came forward to help the family out of the bushes.
By the time the family made it to safety, the motorcycle responsible for this incident had sped off and disappeared.
The family returned to Singapore on the same day via private-hire cars after going to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Kluang Police Chief Responds
Low Hang Seng, the Kluang district police chief, said in a statement on 2 May that the road was slippery during the accident.
Thus, Mr Soh’s car skidded while swerving, which was how the car ended up in the bushes.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Low also reminded road users to drive carefully and obey road regulations. Additionally, drivers in the Kluang district should also stay vigilant on roads where wild animals like elephants often cross.
Featured Image: China Press