'I was afraid cars would run over him': Elderly man collapses while crossing road in Toa Payoh, passers-by rush to his aid

When an elderly man collapsed on a busy road in Toa Payoh, several passers-by immediately came to his aid.

The incident occurred at the traffic junction of Lorong 4 Toa Payoh and Toa Payoh Central at around 7pm on Sunday (Oct 22), reported Lianhe Zaobao.

A witness, surnamed Zhuang, said that the man, who appeared to be in his 60s, was crossing the road when he suddenly fell face down.

"He collapsed in the middle of the road," she said.

Seeing the steady flow of vehicles travelling along the busy road, two men quickly shifted a barricade from a nearby construction site to shield the man, and also helped to direct traffic away from where he was laying.

One of the men told the Chinese daily: "The roads here are narrow and I was afraid that cars would run over the man, so I stepped forward to direct the traffic.

"I tried to turn the man over, but he said that his back and legs felt numb."

Another passer-by, who is a doctor, also helped to check on the man's condition. After confirming that he was still breathing and conscious, she used his mobile phone to contact his son.

A Zaobao reporter who was at the scene noted that the man sustained minor scratches on his face. The reason for his fall is unknown.

Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said that they conveyed the man to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com