Presidential Hopeful George Goh Was Called A ‘Hero Uncle’ For Helping Injured Motorcyclist
Most Singaporeans would know Mr George Goh as the entrepreneur hoping to contest in the upcoming presidential election.
However, two years ago, when he was relatively unknown to the public, he was known as a “local hero” by a witness to an accident.
It turns out he was the “uncle” who rushed over to help an injured motorcyclist in the July 2021 incident.
Source: STOMP
Following a tip-off from a reader, MS News got Mr Goh’s story about how he did “what any decent human being would do”.
Accident involved car & motorcyclist on 8 July 2021
The accident took place on 8 July 2021, at the junction of North Bridge Road and High Street.
According to dashcam footage posted by SG Road Vigilante on Facebook, it involved a car that had stopped at the traffic light at about 5pm.
Source: SG Road Vigilante – SGRV on Facebook
As the camcar started moving after the light turned green, the motorcyclist suddenly sped across the junction from High Street.
Source: SG Road Vigilante – SGRV on Facebook
The car couldn’t stop in time and collided with the motorcycle, shocking a woman and man in the car, who gasped, “Oh my God!”.
The motorcyclist ended up sprawled on the road near the corner of Parliament House.
Source: SG Road Vigilante – SGRV on Facebook
Witness recalls ‘uncle’ who rushed to help motorcyclist
A witness who shared photos of the aftermath told STOMP that the motorcyclist flew almost 100m.
He also saw an “uncle” who rushed to help the man.
Not only did this “uncle” help carry the injured motorcyclist to the roadside, he also helped with his bleeding while they waited for the ambulance to arrive.
Source: STOMP
The witness described the “uncle” as a “local hero”, praising him for coming forward.
The 44-year-old motorcyclist was taken to hospital conscious, according to the police.
‘Hero uncle’ was presidential hopeful George Goh
Following a tip-off from a reader — who asked whether the “uncle” was presidential hopeful George Goh — MS News spoke with the man himself.
Confirming that it was indeed him, Mr Goh said he was having coffee with a friend at a nearby building when he heard a “loud sound”.
Source: STOMP
As he was likely to be the nearest person to the accident site, he rushed over to help the motorcyclist without hesitation.
The man, whom he described as a younger Malay guy, looked stunned and was just sitting on the road, Mr Goh added.
He also kept saying he wanted to call his family.
George Goh carried man to safety & comforted him
Sensing he needed reassurance, Mr Goh told the man not to be scared.
As the man was still sitting in the middle of the road junction, he first carried him to safety by the roadside.
By that time, a crowd had gathered, and somebody had called an ambulance. Mr Goh again reassured the motorcyclist, telling him,
Don’t be scared I’m here. Let’s wait for ambulance.
After the ambulance arrived and paramedics took over, Mr Goh left when he thought the man was in good hands.
George Goh surprised at being called ‘hero uncle’
Asked what he thought about being hailed a “hero”, Mr Goh professed surprise.
After all, he “just did what any decent human being would do”, he said.
It’s not the first time he’s helped out at an accident either — the trunk road outside his village used to have heavy traffic and accidents would often take place, he noted. Some of them were unfortunately fatal.
When an accident occurred, he and other villagers would help extricate victims while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
George Goh hopes motorcyclist is doing well
While he’d not seen the STOMP article until now, Mr Goh has thought about the accident in July 2021 “from time to time”.
He hopes the motorcyclist is doing well, he said, adding,
I sometimes think about how I can respond better if I needed to help in a similar accident again.
Perhaps the instinct to help others and comforting manner that Mr Goh showed that day are just the qualities he needs to become a worthy president.
We wish him all the best in his endeavours and his election campaign — should he be eligible to run.
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Featured image adapted from STOMP and George Goh Ching Wah on Facebook.
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