Woman suffered fractured skull, needed 30 stitches after near collision with PMD rider

A wound that needed 30 stitches to close, and a dent in her head are the permanent reminders of a painful encounter Madam Yeo Eng Koong had with an e-scooter last year.

The 53-year-old compliance executive suffered a fractured skull and needed surgery after falling backwards when the e-scooter rider came close to colliding with her.

"After opening my skull, the doctor had to use the stapling method to seal the wound. I had a total of 30 stitches on my head and it was all the way down to my ears. I was shocked when I saw it."

The e-scooter rider, Tham Chee Boon, 36, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to causing grievous hurt to Madam Yeo by riding an e-scooter in a negligent manner.

He was fined $3,500.

Tham, a paramedic for a private firm, was riding his e-scooter home on March 29 last year at about 9.30pm.

He was approaching a traffic light junction near Block 362 in Woodlands Avenue 5 when he almost ran into Madam Yeo.

In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, Madam Yeo said that after she had crossed the traffic junction, she heard loud music approaching.

It is believed that Tham was listening to music as he was riding the e-scooter. Tham, who was travelling at about 10kmh, applied the brakes on his e-scooter and avoided hitting Madam Yeo.

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But she was so startled that she stumbled backwards and fell, hitting her head on the ground.

She was unconscious for about one minute.

Her fall left her with head injuries, bruises on her chin and neck, as well as a cracked tooth.

She was later taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where doctors said she had a skull fracture and a blood clot in her brain.

The operation left her with 30 stitches, which were removed after about 11 days.

Madam Yeo said she was in intensive care for two days, and was then in and out of hospital for another 13 days.

She was given medical leave for three months after she was discharged.

Madam Yeo said her medical expenses added up to about $18,000 and her dental surgery required another $4,900.

She also said that Tham had sent a text message to apologise to her, but she was unable to reply immediately as she was still in hospital.

She responded later to his message, hoping to be able to talk to him privately.

She said: "I was hoping to solve the matter privately as I heard that he was young and I did not want him to go to jail and have his future ruined."

Madam Yeo said even though the accident was more than a year ago, she still has frequent headaches and tires easily.

Since then, she said, she has started paying more attention to her surroundings and is especially careful when she sees an oncoming scooter.

She said: "I will look left and right, and from time to time I will turn around and see if there is a scooter behind me."

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.