A man had to be taken to the hospital on Thursday after a car tipped over and landed on its roof at Lalovaea opposite the Alan Supermarket.

The Police and staff of the Fire and Emergency Services Authority (F.E.S.A.) were immediately on the scene after the crash on Thursday morning.

However, attempts by the Samoa Observer to confirm if the man rushed to the hospital was the driver or a pedestrian could not be verified.

The F.E.S.A. and Police officers at the scene worked quickly to divert the traffic from the lane that the vehicle laid on with a tow truck getting to the scene at 10am to tow it away.

Video footage from a security camera belonging to a nearby business premises, which caught footage of the car flipping over as it passed a black vehicle, immediately circulated on social media following the incident.

The footage showed the white car on the outside lane heading towards Taufusi while next to a black car on the inside lane. As soon the car was opposite the Alan Supermarket it flipped over and landed on its roof on the sidewalk.

The traffic incident comes four days after the Acting Police and Prisons Commissioner, Papalii Monalisa Tiai-Keti, appealed to the public not to drink and drive if they are intoxicated.

“The emphasis this year is around road safety," she said. “All throughout this year we have seen the growing numbers of members of the public drinking and driving.”

She said the message about the importance of keeping the roads safe was one that Police wished to reflect during their Christmas message.

“It is to ensure that if you are drinking then please do not drive, innocent lives are affected by drivers who don’t take the messages that we give out seriously," she said.

“Police officers do not take days off during the festive season, so we will be working right throughout.

“We know our Samoan communities will be enjoying the festive season so we will be out there looking out for the roads and also responding to calls.”