SINGAPORE — It happened almost two months ago, but the incident still keeps Secondary 3 student Diniy Qurratuaini up at night. 

Despite having helped to save the life of a pedestrian who was hit by the bus the 14-year-old was travelling on, Diniy still wonders if she had done the best she could. 

“I didn’t know what her injuries were and I just straightaway (sic) did CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on her... I didn’t know if I applied a lot of pressure on her when doing CPR,” said the 14-year-old in an interview with TODAY on Thursday (Sept 5). 

The Singapore Civil Defence Force's (SCDF) Facebook post on Wednesday, however, gave her the reassurance that she had done well. 

Saying how proud they were of her actions during that incident on July 19, SCDF wrote: “Diniy’s quick-thinking and selfless act showed that age is no barrier to saving lives.” 

And since then, she has become a bit of a celebrity at school. 

Diniy, who turns 15 in November, recalled how she was initially overcome with shock and panic like the rest of the passengers on bus service 25 that day, after it hit a pedestrian just as it passed the APSN Katong School along Upper Changi Road. 

But Diniy said that quickly snapped out of it and instructed the passenger beside her to call an ambulance. 

While the passenger did as told, Diniy still had to take over. 

“After she dialled the number, she passed me the phone because she was panicking,” said the oldest of five children, aged two to 13. 

When the bus driver opened the door, Diniy ran out of the bus, mobile phone in hand, to check on the pedestrian.

“When I ran to see what happened to the pedestrian, she looked unconscious. Before I even knew if she was, I checked her pulse and breathing,” said the Temasek Secondary student.  

“I passed the phone to a bystander and started performing CPR. Then I told the bus driver to take out the automated external defibrillator.”

 She performed three rounds of CPR before the ambulance arrived about seven minutes later.

“To me, it was just what I learned in my CCA (co-curricular activity), where I perform CPR on a mannequin but now it is on a real person.”

Diniy completed her CPR and first aid certification during her three years with the National Civil Defence Cadet Corps (NCDCC).

“I continued my journey home and told my parents about the incident. Only then did I realise the magnitude of the situation. I’m glad I was there to render help and I am thankful to NCDCC for teaching me skills I can use in such life-threatening emergencies,” said Diniy, who will receive the SCDF Community Lifesaver Award on Friday. 

Diniy said she hopes to find out how the pedestrian is and if she has recovered from her injuries. 

TODAY has reached out to SCDF to find out how the pedestrian is doing.