65YO Has Brain Injury & Fell Into A Coma After Accident With E-Scooter In Bedok North

Once again, we hear of another PMD accident.

A common yet dreadful series of news to report and read.

What Happened

Mdm Ong Bee Eng, a 65-year-old lady, was cycling towards her home at Chai Chee Street after attending a wake on Saturday night (21 September).

Unfortunately, she didn’t make it home because at around 10pm, customers who were watching a football match at a coffee shop located near Block 539 Bedok North Street 3 heard a loud bang. When they turned to see what had happened, they saw Mdm Ong and an e-scooter rider on the ground.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the incident at around 10.24pm.

According to The Straits Times, Mdm Ong suffered a brain injury along with fractures in her ribs and collar bone after a collision with a 20-year-old e-scooter rider.

She was unconscious when she was taken to Changi General Hospital (CGH).

The police confirmed that the rider was conscious when he was taken to CGH, and was arrested afterwards for causing grievous hurt by rash act.

Mdm Ong’s son, Mr Ng Chin Kai, 41, told The Straits Times that doctors said that his mother could be left in a vegetative state after her operation.

She is currently still in a coma.

It was reportedly conveyed to him that his mother was about to cross the zebra crossing when the e-scooter rider, who was travelling at a very high speed, hit her.

Mr Chin is appealing for eyewitnesses and hopes that more details can be given so that the police will know what actually happened.

He has not told his 88-year-old grandmother about the accident because she is believed to have recently suffered a stroke and is currently warded at the same hospital as Mdm Ong.

The Aftermath

Shin Min Daily News, a Chinese-language newspaper, took photos of the scene of the accident which revealed that the pavement next to the cycling path had bloodstains on it.

Police officers were also seen to be carrying a large e-scooter when they were leaving the scene of the accident.

According to Shin Min Daily News, it is suspected that the e-scooter has been heavily modified and exceeded the weight limit.

Regulations that came into effect in 2017 state that PMDs, bicycles and power-assisted bicycles are not allowed to exceed 20kg. These devices are also not allowed to be more than 70cm wide and must have their speed limits capped at 10kmh on footpaths.

Other Accidents

A Deliveroo PMD rider knocked down a three-year-old kid in the middle of Nex shopping mall at 7pm in March of this year. The boy reportedly fell backwards and hit his head against the floor, causing a bruise that measured 3-by-3cm.

In June of last year, Joven Heng Gin How tried out a power-assisted bicycle for the first time near Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and ended up riding into an innocent jogger, causing him to suffer from brain injuries.

It is very unfortunate that these innocent people were hurt due to the rash acts of these PMD riders.

Sadly, despite the Government’s efforts in implementing measures to crack down on reckless PMD riders, you still have to be alert and careful when you are walking along the pavements.

You never know when you might become the next victim of someone else’s careless actions.