Certis officers among group who lifted car, helped victims in accident outside Parliament House

SINGAPORE – When an accident left a woman pinned under a car outside Parliament House last Sunday (Nov 14), a group of Certis Cisco officers immediately stepped forward to help.

Staff Sergeant Mohammad Jamaludin, 48, was on duty at the Supreme Court that morning when he heard a loud crash.

He was one of the first to rush to the site of the accident that involved a BMW and Honda at about 8.15am.

The auxiliary officer saw that the Honda had flipped over next to some bollards and the driver was stuck in the shattered window of the car.

“His body was halfway inside the car, and there was shattered glass all around,” said SSG Mohammad.

“I pulled him out carefully and he collapsed on the ground, so I supported his head and asked about his condition.”

The driver, who was conscious, appeared to be in a state of shock, but was able to tell the officer that he had a female passenger.

By then, Sergeant Jackson Toh, 40, an auxiliary officer who was on duty at Parliament House, had arrived at the scene and realised the woman was pinned under the Honda.

He said there were many passers-by who stepped forward, and they became increasingly worried about the woman.

“We were all afraid that the weight of the vehicle would leave her in a critical condition, so after assessing the situation quickly, we made the decision to lift the vehicle and save her,” he said.

“Everyone pulled together and lifted the car cautiously, and we managed to get the woman safely out from under the car.”

In the video of the crash, the woman can be seen falling out from the Honda’s window as it was flipping, landing on the ground as the car rolled back on top of her.

A picture that was later circulated on social media showed more than a dozen people helping to lift the car.

Sergeant Toh said he was grateful to the members of public who helped.

He said: “I was very encouraged to see everyone work together to save a life, and without this combined effort, I think we wouldn’t have been able to do much.”

Other officers from Certis Cisco also rushed out from the Supreme Court and Parliament House to lend their aid.

Corporal Hanis Harun, 31, was worried that ongoing traffic would pose a hazard and delay paramedics.

Assessing the risk of further incidents, he took it on himself to direct the traffic flow.

“I wanted to ensure the safety of everyone involved and to prevent further accidents from happening,” he said.

“We are all trained in crisis traffic control, so I immediately helped to direct the traffic at the junction.”

Two other auxiliary officers from Certis Cisco, Corporal Low Zhi Hao and Sergeant Kaliyaperumal Paramasivam, also stepped forward.

The two male drivers – aged 51 and 59 – of the cars involved in the accident and three passengers aged between 28 and 61 were later taken to hospital conscious.

The police said investigations are ongoing.

The Certis Cisco officers wished a speedy recovery to those involved in the accident.

SSG Mohammad said: “From the bottom of my heart, I sincerely want to thank them for helping out even though they were not asked to come forward.

“I am very moved. I believe that my fellow Singaporeans are always there to help in times of need, and I am very thankful that they did.”