A food delivery rider was reportedly flung 10m after his bike hit a pothole in Bukit Batok.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
He suffered a fractured wrist, putting him out of action for at least two months.
The delivery rider, Mr Zhang (name transliterated from Mandarin), related the story of his accident involving a pothole to Shin Min Daily News.
At about 7pm on Thursday (25 Jan), the 30-year-old was making a food delivery on his power-assisted bicycle (PAB), he said.
However, his bike crossed a pothole in front of Block 254 Bukit Batok East Avenue 4.
Source: Google Maps
Mr Zhang revealed that he was riding at a speed of 25 to 30 kilometres an hour (km/h) at the time and did not notice the pothole.
After he hit the pothole with his PAB, the rider was thrown off, causing him to land on the ground.
He also slid for a few metres, hit his head and almost fell unconscious, he added.
The car behind him fortunately braked in time to avoid running over him. The driver came out to help.
After resting for a while, Mr Zhang called his friends and family members, who took him to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.
Doctors there found that his left wrist had been fractured and displaced, necessitating a one-night stay in hospital.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
They also arranged for him to undergo surgery in two weeks.
Although he has insurance, it only covers hospitalisation and not medical consultation, Mr Zhang said.
As doctors said he must rest for at least two months, he will suffer a loss of income as the nature of his job means he earns only when he works.
This isn’t the first time something similar has happened to Mr Zhang, he revealed — two years ago, he rode into a pothole in Jurong and injured his elbow.
Following his latest injury, the doctor said he might need to insert screws in his arm.
Worse still, he had planned to get married in May and take wedding photos in April.
He now hopes to recover in time so these plans can go ahead.
Regarding the pothole in Bukit Batok, Mr Zhang hopes the authorities will repair it soon to prevent more accidents.
As it rained before the incident, the pothole was filled with water, making it more difficult to see at night, he said.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
In fact, his friend, who came down when he heard about the accident, nearly hit the pothole himself when he arrived, he added.
Fortunately, he managed to stabilise himself and didn’t fall.
Visiting the scene on Saturday (27 Jan), Shin Min observed that the pothole was about 30cm in diameter and 5cm deep.
As it was right in front of a bus stop, buses had to avoid it when coming to a stop.
A 66-year-old resident told Shin Min that he noticed the pothole about a week ago when he was taking the bus.
It seemed to be getting bigger, he said.
When it rains heavily, the pothole gets covered in water, making it difficult to notice.
He had seen cars driving into it, the resident claimed.
Also read: Large Potholes Appear Along Tuas Avenue, Issue Reported To LTA
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.
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