IT was a horror scene straight out of a Hollywood action flick.
There was only one problem: This time, it was real.
Veering, almost in slow motion across the six lanes of Pioneer Road last night, the tanker skidded, out of control.
And it was heading straight for security guard Yeo Swee Kiang (left).
Maybe it was due to shock.
But the 49-year-old stayed rooted to the spot outside his factory's gate, arms flailing in the air, his voice reduced to a croak as he tried to shout: 'Stop, stop!'
But nothing was stopping the tanker.
It finally came to a crashing stop mere metres from him, taking with it a 10m tall coconut tree and part of a factory gate.
About 100m behind it, on the other side of the sprawling highway, a bus lay upside down, crumpled and twisted.
Its wheels were still spinning in the air, as people covered in blood began to crawl out.
But there was little time to gawk.
Mr Yeo bolted.
'I thought the tanker was going to explode at any second,' he said.
At a warehouse 50m away, he scrambled around for a phone to call the ambulances.
Then he peeked round the corner and inched his way back to the wreck.
By then, Mr Low Kuoy Kwang, the driver of the tanker, had crawled his way out and was sitting on the road.
A bloody bone protruded from his right knee, but he had whipped out his handphone and was barking into it.
Mr Yeo rushed to drag Mr Low away.
Then came Mr Low's magic words:
'Don't worry. The tanker's empty.'
The horrific accident happened around 8.30pm yesterday, at the junction of Pioneer Road and Tuas Ave 20.
According to Mr Yeo, who was standing outside his factory gate at the time, the oil tanker was travelling along Pioneer Road when a private bus cut across its path, as it turned out from Tuas Ave 20.
The oil tanker collided into the side of the 20-seater bus, which was carrying foreign factory workers home.
The bus flipped onto its roof, spraying a shower of glass onto the tarmac.
The tanker, driven by its momentum, started veering right across the six-lane highway, long skid marks trailing in its wake.
When Mr Yeo had calmed Mr Low down, he sprinted across the road to the bus, where passengers were pulling one another out through the windows.
GROANING IN PAIN
'They were lying down and sitting around, groaning in pain,' said Mr Yeo.
According to him, the junction of Pioneer Road with Tuas Ave 20 and Tuas Ave 12 is a dangerous one.
'This is a dangerous junction. There have been many times when I saw accidents that almost happened,' said Mr Yeo.
'There should be a set of traffic lights here.'
Shortly after the accident, three ambulances and one fire engine arrived.
Thirteen casualties were sent to National University Hospital and Alexandra Hospital. (See other report.)
'I didn't know what hit me,' said Mr Kalaichelvan, the 42-year-old bus driver.
His fractured right elbow was held up in a bandage.
'It's very lucky nobody died,' added passenger Ramesh Krishnan, who is from Tamil Nadu in India.
He suffered bruises to his leg and shoulders.
Close shave, indeed. Just ask Mr Yeo.
The police are investigating.
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