Man who saved woman unaware he has become a hero

IPOH: Going to the rescue of those in need was just instinctive for contractor Oon Thoo Seen, who has won accolades from netizens for saving an unconscious woman in a wrecked car.

Oon, who is in his 60s, said there was no time to think, when he acted in the nick of time before a fire from another mangled car spread to the woman’s vehicle.

“I was actually not aware of the fire from the other car. I saw an unconscious woman needing my help and I tried to rescue her. To me, life is important,” he said in an interview.

He said when he found the car door jammed, he quickly retrieved an axe from his car and broke the window to pull her out of the Proton Saga BLM at the 2nd kilometre of Jalan Pengkalan Hulu-Gerik.

“It was only when the other car exploded that I realised what was happening,” he said.

Pictures capturing Oon in action as well as stories of his bravery have since gone viral on social media.

Netizens have called him an unsung hero and even thanked him for his courage and for risking his life to rescue the woman from certain death.

During the 2pm accident on Thursday, the woman’s car collided head-on with a Perodua Alza which caught fire.

Oon, from Sungai Petani, Kedah, was unaware his act of bravery had gone viral.

“My children told me about it. I also received a lot of calls from friends and relatives, praising me for my action,” he said, adding that he was glad the woman was all right.

It was actually not the first time he had helped out in an accident.

“I also helped out in an accident in Bukit Mertajam a few years ago,” he said.

Pengkalan Hulu OCPD Deputy Supt Raduan Mohamad said the driver of the other car, a soldier, his wife and child, from Gerik, had minor injuries.

The driver of the Proton Saga along with his wife (who Oon saved) and their two children are being warded at Hospital Baling in Kedah. The family is from Kangar, Perlis.

“According to our investigation, the Proton Saga, which was heading from Pengkalan Hulu to Gerik, went out of control and swerved into the opposite lane before crashing into the Perodua Alza.

“The Proton Saga was heading down a slope prior to the accident,” he said.

Quick thinking: Oon using an axe to break the window of the Proton Saga to rescue the woman following the accident along the Pengkalan Hulu- Gerik road.