By Walter Sim, The Straits Times, 7 Jan 2014
Two men who valiantly dragged two accident victims trapped in a burning car to safety were yesterday lauded by the Singapore Civil Defence Force.
Mr Lim Hong Kia, 53, and Mr Yan Zhen Jun, 44, told reporters they had acted instinctively without thinking about their own safety and even had their hair singed.
"There was no time to think. I could not bear the thought of seeing the two victims being burned to death," said Mr Lim, who is self-employed.
Mr Lim was driving by at the time of the accident, which involved a tipper truck driven by Mr Yan and a car. The accident occurred at about 1.20pm last Friday on the Bukit Timah Expressway, towards Pan-Island Expressway.
Mr Yan, who works for Lian Heng Huat Trading and Transport, was transporting soil to Pasir Panjang when he pulled over by the road shoulder, suspecting one of his tyres was punctured.
A car then crashed into his truck and burst into flames, said the Shandong, China, native, who has been living in Singapore for 5½ years.
His first instinct, he said in Mandarin yesterday, was to help the people in the car.
He used a hammer to smash through the windows as the doors were jammed, and climbed into the burning vehicle.
The two casualties, both in their 20s, were pulled away to safety before the car exploded about three minutes later. They were treated in hospital for abrasions and knee and elbow pains.
Mr Lim and Mr Yan were yesterday presented with the SCDF Public Spiritedness Award by Colonel Ling Young Ern, Commander of the 4th Civil Defence Division.
Col Ling said: "Without their help, things might have been different and their acts really made a difference to the lives of the members of the public who they helped." The SCDF is currently seeking a third person - a woman who had helped to console the accident victims.
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