A 30-year-old delivery rider was thrown off his power-assisted bicycle (PAB) after it ran over a pothole in front of a bus stop near Block 254 Bukit Batok East Avenue 4 on Jan. 25 at around 7:30pm.

According to Shin Min Daily News, he was sent "flying" 10 metres before he landed on the ground, leaving him with a fractured wrist and other injuries.

Zhang (transliteration from Mandarin) worried he would not recover in time for his wedding in May 2024.

Sent "flying" for 10 metres, skidded a few metres on the ground

According to Zhang, he had been travelling at 25-30km/h on his e-bike along the road and did not notice the pothole.

Zhang said that after the collision with the pothole, he was thrown off his e-bike, sent "flying" for 10 metres and skidded a few metres on the ground before coming to a stop.

He said he hit his head and claimed he nearly fell into a coma.

"A car was right behind me, but fortunately, the driver managed to stop in time," he said. "The driver came down immediately to assist me, yet it took me a while to recover from the daze as my ears were ringing, and I couldn't hear anything."

Zhang said once he recovered from the shock, he immediately called his friends and family, who rushed down to the scene and sent him to a hospital.

Claims pothole difficult to spot

He said it was difficult to spot because it was filled with water and that light conditions were poor.

He said his friend who came down to help him also rode over the pothole but was more fortunate to not fall.

Not the first time he has been in an accident involving a pothole

Zhang told Shin Min this was not the first time he had a pothole accident.

He claimed that two years ago, he ran over a pothole in Jurong that caused him to injure his left elbow.

Zhang also claimed he was left with a broken toenail that never recovered.

As for his current injury involving his broken left wrist, Zhang said the doctor told him he might have to go through surgery to install screws.

While not left-handed, Zhang said he is concerned about complications following such a procedure.

Pothole appeared to be about 30cm wide and 5cm deep

According to Shin Min, a reporter who went down to the accident site estimated the pothole to be about 30 centimetres wide, with a depth of five centimetres.

Some buses were also observed to be avoiding the pothole.

Zhang said that even though he had insurance, it would only cover his hospitalisation bill and would not account for the loss of income as the doctors told him he had to stop working.

He also said he was worried that he would not be able to recover in time for his wedding photoshoot in April and the ceremony itself in May, as the doctors said it would take months to recover.

Zhang added, "As other motorists may be affected, I hope the authorities will repair the pothole as soon as possible to avoid more accidents."

This is the second pothole accident within a week

This is the second pothole accident reported within a week.

It was previously reported that another food delivery rider was injured after riding over a pothole in Hougang.

In an update published on Jan. 29, 2024, Shin Min reported that the pothole in Hougang was filled up, but not the one in Bukit Batok.

Top photo via Shin Min Daily News