65-year-old cyclist in Bedok North PMD collision dies in hospital
The 65-year-old cyclist who was seriously hurt in an e-scooter accident last Saturday died yesterday evening at Changi General Hospital.
The New Paper understands Madam Ong Bee Eng is believed to be the first fatality from a collision involving a personal mobility device (PMD) on a public path here.
Madam Ong, who sustained a severe brain injury and fractured her ribs and a collarbone in the accident, was in a coma on Saturday night at Changi General Hospital and was placed on life support on Sunday morning.
At the hospital yesterday, the family declined to comment, just saying Madam Ong died with family members by her side.
She had been riding her bicycle to her Chai Chee home at around 10.30pm when she collided with an e-scooter rider in Bedok North.
The police said in a statement yesterday they were alerted to the accident on Saturday near Block 539 Bedok North Street 3.
The e-scooterist, a 20-year-old man, was arrested, and the police are investigating the case as causing death by rash act.
Images of Madam Ong's brain after the accident showed that it had shifted from the impact. Her son, Mr Ng Chin Khai, 41, had said the doctors said his mother's chances of recovery were "almost zero".
Madam Ong, a widow with two children and three grandchildren, was a logistics assistant packer with courier company DHL. Friends and family described her as a helpful and well-respected woman.
In July, a 41-year-old man died from burn injuries from a fire caused by a PMD being charged. The cause of the fire was traced to two e-scooters, Bukit Batok MP Murali Pillai said on his Facebook.
In 2018, a 23-year-old fell off his e-scooter in East Coast Park and was found unconscious by cyclists. He died in hospital.
After Madam Ong's accident, a petition calling for a ban on PMDs and e-bikes gained traction, with some of Madam Ong's family members sharing it on social media. At press time last night, the petition had garnered about 21,500 signatures.
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