Passengers stranded on ECP by cab driver after accident

Passengers stranded on ECP by cab driver after accident:

We told him he was going too fast Cab hits divider on ECP, goes into spin When it stops spinning, passengers get out and cabby just drives off. Stranded, they call cops and make report

By Shree Ann Mathavan March 04, 2008

THE four passengers claimed the taxi driver was speeding. So they told him to slow down, not once, but twice, during the ride at around 5am yesterday.

But their pleas fell on deaf ears, they alleged.

Instead, the driver continued to race along on the East Coast Parkway (ECP), in the direction of Changi.

Near Marina Bay, the City Cab taxi crashed into the road divider and spun around before ending up facing the opposite direction.

Shaken, the four friends got out of the taxi, whereupon they got another shock.

Without a word to them, the taxi driver simply turned the car and sped off.

That was what the four friends claimed. They had to spend the wee hours of yesterday morning stranded on the ECP.

Their Saturday night started off well enough.

Miss Tia Abdullah, 22, an art student, and her friends Miss Joelle Simon, 23, an event planner, Mr Thibault Michels, 24, a marketing executive, and Miss Dayana Anggundita, 26, a flight stewardess, had been partying at St James Power Station.

They were celebrating another friend's birthday. Four hours later, the four friends, who all live in the eastern part of the island, decided to share a taxi back to their homes.

But the taxi driver, whom they described as a man in his mid-30s, was driving dangerously, they claimed.

Said Miss Tia, a Singaporean: 'He was speeding so fast, I had to close my eyes because it was scary.

'I had to hold onto my friends in the back-seat.'

Despite telling the taxi driver to slow down 'twice or thrice', he did not, and 'seemed to go even faster', claimed Miss Tia.

All of a sudden, the taxi crashed into the road divider on the right, shattering a glass window on the right-hand side of the vehicle.

It then spun around until it was facing oncoming traffic, said Miss Simon, a French national.
Stunned, the group got out of the taxi, which was still in the right lane.

Said Miss Tia: 'There was no argument, nothing. He just looked at us and drove off without a word.'

Miss Simon said glass bits fell on her, but the group escaped with minor bruises and scratches.
The taxi driver however, appeared to be bleeding, said Mr Michels.

After the taxi left, the friends made their way to the opposite side of the highway to a construction site.

Mr Michels, a French national, recalled: 'Crossing the highway was scary because the vehicles were travelling fast.'

Once at the construction site, they called the police, who went down to speak to them.

Mr Michels, who had left his handphone in the taxi, also used his friend's handphone to call his number.

According to him, the taxi driver answered, apologising and promising to return the phone to him, though he did not specify when.

He also allegedly told Mr Michels that his taxi was no longer working.

When the police arrived to take their statements, a police officer also called Mr Michels' phone and spoke to the taxi driver.

Through the officer, Mr Michels understood that he could later collect his handphone from Sengkang Neighbourhood Police Centre.

HELPED BY POLICE

Close to 7am, the four friends finally managed to return home - with the help of a police officer, who helped them to flag down a cab.

Yesterday afternoon, Mr Michels went to the Sengkang NPC to make a police report.

He was later told his handphone would be ready for him to pick up in the evening. But he could not pick it up yesterday.

Though the four did not sustain severe injuries, the incident left a bad taste in their mouths.

Miss Simon, who sustained a bruise at the corner of her left eye, said: 'We wanted to come forward to tell our stories, so there is more awareness of driving safely.'

ComfortDelGro spokesman Tammy Tan confirmed that the taxi was a CityCab.

CityCab is a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro.

COMPANY IS INVESTIGATING

She said that she was dismayed to hear about the incident and that a thorough investigation will beconducted.

She said: 'We hope to be in touch with the passengers to ensure that they are well.

'The taxi driver is slightly injured with bruises but isn't hospitalised. We will be in touch with him and his family to check that he is okay.'

A police spokesman confirmed that they received a phone call at 5.30am yesterday about an accident along the ECP in the direction of Changi.

He said investigations are ongoing.