There was a very bad accident near my place a little past midnight. I was just getting into bed when I heard the urgent sirens, a vehicle zipping very fast on the road, and then, bang, bang, bang, bang. Yes, four loud bangs.

When I looked out of the window, I saw the overturned red rhino (the small fire engine without a top cover, like a jeep) on top of a taxi, after having crashed into the taxidriver's side. Another red car, in the bid to siam the accident, ended up crashing into the SBS bus at the traffic light after having spun more than 360 degrees across the cross road diagonally. It all took place near the traffic light at the cross road. Luckily, no one was crossing the road at the time and no motorcyclist was involved. I can't imagine how much worse that could be.

And also, luckily, there was a 24 hrs kopitiam there whose patrons are your exemplary citizens because official help was very slow in coming. There was big smoke coming from the red rhino and the uncle-heroes wasted no time getting one of the firemen out of the rhino. There were also those who seemed like trained traffic police who were even more efficient than your real trained traffic police because they quickly started to direct the chaotic traffic at the cross road where the traffic lights had been snapped into halves in a place where vehicles can turn six ways. My reliable informant of a brother, who was having supper downstairs, said that not one but three doctors popped out of nowhere in their t-shirts and shorts and slippers to help the victims. Miraculously, the taxidriver, the bus driver and the people in the red car (not the rhino) escaped unhurt. Truly miraculous, because, remember the rhino crashed into the taxi at the driver side. As for the red car, one side of it was completely crashed into.

I think two firemen had it worst, and it certainly prompt one to wonder about the safety of fast-zipping emergency vehicles on the road. Because it's ironic that in the bid to rush to help you end up creating an sos that needs to be rushed to.

It caused a very big commotion in the neighbourhood. People crowded at the scene, and people even came down from their homes to find out how bad the accident was. I supposed it garnered so much attention not so much because it was an accident and Singaporeans are kpo, but because it happened at the spot where we regularly cross the road. I know for sure that I now want to be extra careful when I'm there because the pedestrian has the most to lose.