13-car pile-up in Saigon: Injured people lying around screaming

"The car was going very fast, it hit and dragged Tuan Anh for a distance. The car only stopped when it hit two taxis and another car stopped at a red light," said a witness named Huy.

On the evening of July 22, hundreds of people gathered on Ha Huy Giap Street (Thanh Loc Ward, District 12) to watch the authorities examine the scene and investigate the multiple-vehicle crash.

Nine motorbikes were strewn about 30 meters at the scene. The white 7-seater car (Binh Duong license plate) believed to have caused the accident was severely damaged and was stopped by a Mai Linh taxi. Many parts of the car were also shattered and scattered.

Dozens of traffic police, District 12 Police and Thanh Loc Ward forces were present to investigate and handle the accident.

The injured lay scattered.

According to many locals, when the accident happened, they heard loud “bang, bang” sounds. Many people ran out and saw many motorbikes lying on the road, with injured people lying everywhere.

“The scene was horrifying, several motorbikes were crushed. I saw many people injured in pain, screaming for help, including two people in serious condition,” said a witness around 45 years old.

Motorbikes were scattered after the accident.

Sitting absent-mindedly next to the scene, every now and then Mr. Huy (29 years old, living in District 12) would hold a lighter and light an incense stick.

According to Mr. Huy, that same evening, he and Doan Tuan Anh (15 years old, from Ca Mau) rode 2 motorbikes to Lai Thieu (Binh Duong) to play. When they arrived, suddenly a car going in the opposite direction (the road was about 10 m wide, without a hard divider) hit many motorbikes and then swerved into the opposite lane, hitting Tuan Anh's car and many others.

“The car was going very fast, hitting and dragging Tuan Anh for a distance. It only stopped when it hit two taxis and another car stopped at a red light. If the other cars hadn’t blocked it, a few more people would have been in the accident,” Huy said.

According to Huy, at that time he was driving the motorbike behind, while Tuan Anh was driving in front. The car crashed straight into Tuan Anh's motorbike, causing the teenager to fall onto the road.

"I saw many people lying around, next to Tuan Anh there was also a person seriously injured, I don't know if he will survive," Huy added.

After the accident, many friends and co-workers of Tuan Anh came to the scene, carrying incense sticks to burn for the unfortunate man. Even though the scene had been cleared and the crowd had dispersed, these young men still did not leave.

One more death

Still not fully recovered from witnessing the incident, Ms. Nga (50 years old) said the car that caused the accident swayed violently.

"I hid inside and looked out and saw that the car had hit many motorbikes and then swerved and hit several taxis. People were talking about whether the driver was on drugs or not because he was driving so fast," Ms. Nga shared.

A car wheel flew off after the accident.

A car repairman near the To Ngoc Van - Ha Huy Giap intersection said that when the accident happened, he immediately ran to the nearby Thanh Loc Ward Police Station to report it. Later, two specialized police vehicles arrived to take the victims to the emergency room.

“I saw a man over 60 years old driving an Attila lying motionless, stuck between a car and a motorbike. This man was almost out of breath and probably wouldn’t make it,” the witness added.

Late on July 22, a representative of Hospital 175 confirmed another death in the accident. The victim was initially identified as Le Cong Dung (63 years old, from Can Tho). In addition, another seriously injured victim was transferred to Cho Ray Hospital.

According to Zing