SINGAPORE — A quiet Saturday morning in Dempsey turned frightening when a large tree suddenly toppled onto vehicles along Loewen Road at about 10am on Aug. 22, damaging at least two cars and briefly trapping a private-hire driver inside his vehicle.
The 60-year-old driver, identified by The Straits Times as Saiful, was turning his white Nissan MPV out from the Museum of Ice Cream area when he heard a loud cracking sound.
He looked up and saw the tree beginning to fall.
Saiful tried to reverse, but part of the tree had already landed on the passenger side of his vehicle, crushing the roof and leaving him unable to get out from inside the car.
In a fortunate turn of events, employees from a nearby spa rushed out and helped free him from the driver’s seat.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) subsequently attended the scene and assessed the driver. No injuries were reported, and SCDF said ambulance assistance was not required.
A second car was also damaged
The fallen tree did not stop with the Nissan.
A parked blue BMW was also hit, with portions of the tree landing on its bonnet. Photographs from the scene showed the extent of the damage to both vehicles.
Loewen Road was temporarily blocked while landscaping contractors worked to cut up and remove the fallen tree.
By around 5pm on Aug. 22, the road had reopened and the affected vehicles had been cleared, according to The Straits Times.
Authorities now want to know why the tree fell
The incident has also raised questions about the condition of trees in the area.
The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) said it responded with relevant agencies and stakeholders, prioritising public safety, securing the affected area and removing the fallen tree safely.
SLA said it would assess the circumstances surrounding the incident and consider follow-up measures, including checks on surrounding trees where appropriate.
Importantly, authorities have not publicly established a cause for the tree’s collapse. Any suggestion that the tree fell because of a particular weather event or because it was structurally unsafe would therefore be premature.
Dempsey remains accessible
Despite the incident, SLA said other locations in Dempsey remained accessible while the affected area was being dealt with.
The incident was also reported by regional outlets including AsiaOne, The Star and Singapore’s 8world, with the reports broadly confirming the same key details: the tree fell around 10am, two vehicles were affected, the driver was trapped but escaped without injury, and authorities moved quickly to secure and clear the area.
For now, the biggest relief is that what could have been a much more serious accident ended without reported injuries.
But the next question may be just as important: will authorities find that other trees nearby require closer inspection?
That assessment could determine what happens next around one of Singapore’s best-known green lifestyle enclaves.
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