Rachel Goh, Author at Goody Feed

Personality mobility aids (PMA) help those with walking difficulties. Unfortunately, road accidents involving PMAs are not uncommon. A 69-year-old man’s PMA collided with a motorcycle in Jurong West. Unfortunately, the accident was fatal. The PMA rider died after being taken to the hospital. The Accident The accident occurred on 7 December along Jurong West Avenue 1 towards Corporation Road at around 8:35 pm. Image: Google Maps An eyewitness, surnamed Xie (transliterated from Mandarin), told Shin Min Daily News that he saw the PMA rider lying on the ground when he walked past the accident site. Xie noted that parts of the man’s PMA were scattered along one side of the road. In Xie’s opinion, the man was trying to cross the road on his PMA when he collided with the motorcycle. He added, “The impact of the collision must have been significant as both the PMA’s seat and wheels fell off.” According to Xie, both the PMA rider and the motorcyclist sustained injuries and fell to the ground after the accident occurred. While the younger motorcyclist kept groaning from what appeared to be leg and neck injuries, the PMA rider was lying on the ground unresponsive. Passers-by helped to direct traffic away from the injured pair. A photo showed a man in a blue shirt lying on the side of the road. Image: Shin Min Daily News Another photo showed that the PMA’s chair and tires had fallen off, too. Image: Shin Min Daily News A bag containing tissues and a shoe was also strewn along the roadside. Aftermath A video that Xie filmed showed three paramedics providing first aid to the PMA rider. One of them was shown performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him. Shin Min Daily News reporters who arrived at the scene noted that several police cars were present and police officers were collecting evidence. A group of motorcyclists were also seen hanging around the accident site. One of them, Nick, 48, told Shin Min Daily News that the group was friends with the injured motorcyclists. Nick noted that the motorcyclist had already been taken to the hospital. He added that the motorcyclist’s wife informed the group of the incident. They promptly came over to see if they could offer assistance as they were near the area. Responding to queries from Shin Min Daily News, the police said that the PMA rider was taken to the hospital unconscious. Subsequently, he passed away. The 27-year-old motorcyclist was conscious when taken to the hospital. Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the Singapore Civil Defence Force confirmed that they were notified about the accident at around 8:35 pm on Thursday. They added that the PMA rider and motorcyclist were taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. Investigations are currently ongoing. PMAs and Road Accidents According to the Land Transport Authority, PMAs are not allowed on roads. However, they are allowed on footpaths and cycling paths. PMAs are wheelchairs, motorised wheelchairs, or mobility scooters designed to aid individuals with walking difficulties. Unfortunately, road accidents involving PMAs are not unheard of. On 17 November 2023, a 71-year-old PMA rider was hit by a car in Bedok. The female rider was conscious when taken to the hospital. The police told STOMP that they were alerted to the accident at around 7:20 am. The accident occurred at the junction of New Upper Changi Road and Bedok North Avenue 1. Another similar accident occurred in May 2022. A BMW knocked down a 78-year-old male PMA rider along Block 10 North Bridge Road. Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, an eyewitness noted that two men and one woman were in the car. The BMW driver got out of the car to check on the PMA rider. The eyewitness noted that other passers-by also checked on the injured man. An ambulance was called, and the PMA rider was conscious when taken to the hospital. The eyewitness added that although the PMA rider was conscious, he appeared to have difficulty breathing and could not talk.