Caught on camera: Motorcyclist seriously injured after slamming into jaywalker at Sims Ave

SINGAPORE - A split second is all it takes to differentiate a close shave on the roads and an accident. Unfortunately for a motorcyclist and a jaywalker, it turned into a disaster.

A 24-seconds video was first uploaded on Singapore Reckless Drivers Community's Facebook page on Wednesday (Dec 23) showing a young man jaywalking across the road at Sims Avenue near Aljunied MRT.

The four-lane road was heavy with traffic when the incident happened. As the man was crossing on the third lane, he appeared to have spotted an oncoming motorbike, but decided to make a dash for the pavement.

He was a split second too late and the bike slammed into the jaywalker.

"My vision was obscured by stationary vehicles on the right side of the road. In addition, I was not speeding, and in fact keeping in the limit of approximately 50km/h," Richard Quek, the motorcyclist later explained on the motoring community Facebook page.

Immediately, both motorcyclist and jaywalker were flung a few metres from the collision site, and continued to tumble forward.

The motorcyclist landed on the pavement, while the jaywalker was thrown in front of the bike as everybody came to a halt.

"Due to the obstructed line of sight and (the pedestrian's) negligence, I have suffered multiple facial fractures, a toe fracture, blood clot in my brain/head, loss of 2 front teeth and impaired vision in my right eye due to nerve damage."

Richard added that he has been discharged from the hospital, but the gravity of his injuries have been impeding his ability to work, or perform daily tasks.

"As for the pedestrian, I do not wish any form of hate on him, I just hope he learns from this situation and is more mindful in the future. To all road users out there, be extra cautious especially in the location of Sims Ave where people always seem to be jaywalking," Richard wrote.

"To everyone disputing about the fault or the scenario, I hope you guys would kindly stop and take time to learn from the situation. There is no point pointing the finger anymore from this point onwards. Let's take a step towards safer road usage both motorist and pedestrians. God bless."

The video has since been watched over 90,000 times on Facebook in 15 hours since it was uploaded, and shared over 2,300 times.

grongloh@sph.com.sg