Two chain collisions involving eight cars occur metres apart on TPE

Two chain collisions involving a total of eight cars occurred metres apart on the Tampines Expressway (TPE) on Tuesday (23 October), resulting in a build-up of traffic during the morning peak hour. The police said that they were alerted to an accident involving three cars on the TPE, in the direction of the Seletar Expressway (SLE), at about 8:30am. One of the drivers, a 50-year old woman, and her 35-year old passenger were injured. Both women were taken to Sengkang General Hospital.

The Straits Times understands that the accident occurred after the first car allegedly hit the brakes suddenly. Police investigations for the three-car pile-up are ongoing. About 20m away, five cars were involved in another chain collision, which saw a silver car being lifted in the air from behind before landing on top of a black car. No one was injured in that collision.

Photos and videos of the dramatic aftermath have been circulating online since Tuesday morning, with some posts suggesting that seven cars were involved in that accident. A 30-year old occupational therapist, who wanted to be known only as Mr. Jow, told The Straits Times he was driving on the TPE at about 8:30am and noticed, from a distance, that a car appeared to be up in the air. He said that he was caught in a jam for about 15 minutes, while driving from Tampines to Yishun. Traffic had started to build up near the Punggol Road exit, he added.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) told motorists in a tweet at around 8:30am to avoid the first lane on the expressway. LTA later said the accident has resulted in congestion up till the Tampines Road exit. It added that motorists should avoid the second lane on the expressway as well. Bus operator SBS Transit said at about 10:30am that seven bus services were delayed on the TPE. Normal service resumed about an hour later.