On the night of Mar. 8, 2023, a 63-year-old Singaporean woman was with her 67-year-old husband on their daily night walk along Martaban Road.

As she was crossing the road, a bicycle came riding down the slope at a high speed and collided with her, resulting in her falling backwards and her head hitting the ground.

She fell unconscious and succumbed to her injuries on Mar. 20 morning in the hospital.

The cyclist, Li Lanying, was riding a bicycle with faulty brakes.

She knew her brakes were faulty.

What happened

Li was charged with one count of causing death by a negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide.

According to court documents seen by Mothership, Li, a 52-year-old Chinese national, was working as a housekeeper at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).

On the day of the accident, she left the hospital after finishing her shift and rode home by taking Martaban Road towards Balestier Road.

At the time, the female victim was walking along Martaban Road towards the nearby car park with her husband, 67, for their daily night walk.

When Li was riding at the downslope of the road, the victim was crossing the road from her left to right.

As the bicycle approached the victim at high speed, Li tried to apply her brakes, but it was defective.

They tried redirecting their paths to avoid each other, but Li's handlebar bumped into the victim's right arm.

As a result, the victim fell backwards and sustained a "traumatic brain injury" after her head hit the ground. Li also fell off her bicycle.

Victim passed away due to head injury

The police were alerted to the accident at around 9:07pm on Mar. 8, 2023.

The victim was conveyed unconscious to TTSH by the ambulance.

After receiving treatment for 12 days, the victim succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at 5:36am on Mar. 20, 2023.

Her cause of death was certified as her head injury.

Li knew her brakes were faulty for months

A senior technical investigator at LKK Auto Consultants Pte Ltd, who conducted a mechanical inspection on Li's bicycle on Sep. 6, 2023, found that its rear brakes were faulty.

Additionally, its braking system was also "not in serviceable condition".

Court documents also stated that Li had already known her brakes were faulty for two to three months before the accident.

However, she did not repair it as "there were usually no pedestrians on the road when she used the bicycle to commute to and from work".

Jailed four weeks

On Sep. 20, Li pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four weeks in jail.

Anyone convicted of causing death by negligent act could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, or both.

Top image via Google Maps