S'pore woman who suffered brain injuries after 2016 e-scooter collision dies at 64

The woman who was knocked down by an e-scooter in Pasir Ris in 2016, leaving her with various impairments, passed away on Oct. 14, her family told the media.

Ang Liu Kiow died at the age of 64 due to coronary artery disease, The Straits Times (ST) reported.

In 2016, a 17-year-old was riding at about 14 to 15km/h on his e-scooter near a bus-stop when he collided into Ang.

She fell and hit her head, and slipped into a month-long coma following the incident.

As a result of the incident, she had severe brain injuries, and was unable to speak, read, and write. She required assistance with daily living activities, including eating.

In 2018, the e-scooter rider was given a short detention order of 14 days and 100 hours of community service. This means he would have no criminal record after he was released from jail.

The incident brought greater attention to the dangers of personal mobility devices (PMDs), prompting several Members of Parliament (MPs) to raise questions on the errant use of PMDs in Parliament a month after.

It was also brought up during the 2017 Parliament discussion of the Active Mobility Bill, which was subsequently passed to introduce regulations on the use of PMDs such as setting speed limits.

Caregiving

Following the incident, Ang's husband Leong Loon Wah took up the responsibility of caring for her. A helper would take over when he went to work in the day, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Every day over the past 10 years, he would check in on her condition before going to work, where he would long to rush back home to her.

As Leong's own health declined in the past two years, the family decided to hire another helper to take care of Ang.

He teared up as he said, "I tried my best. My biggest priority was to take care of her better."

In the four days before her passing, she had a persistent fever and was sleeping most of the time.

That fateful day, when Leong checked in on her as usual, he noticed that she was foaming at the mouth and had difficulty breathing, and he quickly called for an ambulance.

Resilient

Ang changed drastically after the incident as she began struggling to live independently.

Her mood soured, which broke Leong's heart to see, he told Shin Min.

But she got better gradually with treatment.

"At one time, she could support herself to go to the toilet," Leong recalled. "But these past three years, her condition declined significantly and she would often fall. Still, she was determined to walk on her own."

"My mother was very resilient and tried not to let anything get her down," her son said, as quoted by ST.

During the first two years after the incident, Ang was practising talking and singing with her husband's help.

She even managed to call his name several times, which gave him a lot of hope to believe that she could keep getting better.

"Unfortunately, she never called my name again after that," he said. "I want so much to hear her call my name one more time."

No apology

Although the court had ordered the e-scooter rider to pay Ang S$445,000 in 2020, he did not make any compensation after saying he did not have the money.

To date, he has not offered an apology nor visited Ang, according to Leong.

"I've been reprimanded for not letting the boy off the hook, but it's not personal," Leong said. "He hasn't even said a word of apology. How can I forgive him?"

The family has received support from the public, including a mother and daughter pair who raised about S$164,000 through a crowdfunding campaign to help alleviate the family's financial burden.

Leong expressed thanks to the people who have helped them. To give back, the family decided to donate items such as Ang's wheelchair to others in need.