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Elderly man was hit by car while on PMA during accident in Yishun

After spending 1.5 years in a vegetative state, a 93-year-old man died in June, his bereaved family told Shin Min Daily News.

Mr Chen Miankun (transliterated from Mandarin) had ultimately succumbed to a condition caused by an accident with a car in Yishun.

Source: Shin Min Daily News

Man met with accident while riding PMA in Yishun

Mr Chen lived in Block 749 Yishun Street 72 with his wife and female tenant, said his 50-year-old daughter Wei’en.

On 19 Jan 2024, he rode his personal mobility aid (PMA) to a nearby market to buy groceries to cook for his wife.

He would typically ride the PMA to do volunteer work with his daughter, including collecting food for distribution to the needy, she added.

Source: Shin Min Daily News

However, on that day he was hit by a car.

Man enters vegetative state after Yishun accident

As Ms Chen was overseas on holiday at the time, and her mother has Alzheimer’s disease, she did not know about the accident until their tenant informed them that her father had not returned home.

She called the police, who notified the family about the accident only the day after as Mr Chen had carried only his wallet with him and no identification.

It turned out that he had undergone emergency surgery in hospital due to a brain haemorrhage as a result of the accident.

As he was briefly conscious after the surgery, his condition deteriorated rapidly and he subsequently entered a vegetative state.

Mr Chen being visited by his wife in hospital. Source: Shin Min Daily News

After nearly three months in the hospital, his family decided to take him home to be cared for by a caregiver in the day.

At night, Ms Chen and her older sister would take turns to care for him.

Death difficult for family to accept

Sadly, Mr Chen passed away, dashing the hopes of his family that he would recover.

Ms Chen said her father’s death was difficult for them to accept, as he was healthy but turned into a “vegetable” due to the accident.

Despite being in his 90s, he had provided steadfast care for their mother, she added.

His son, 53-year-old interior designer Weiwu, said his father loved his wife of 60 years dearly even after she developed Alzheimer’s.

A very family-oriented and romantic person, Mr Chen still wrote love letters to his wife and kissed her forehead during her yearly birthday celebration, he added.

Source: Shin Min Daily News

The younger Mr Chen also said that his father had built close relationships with neighbours after living in Yishun for more than 30 years.

He loved to fix things and often repaired appliances and furniture around the estate for free, he added.

Driver in Yishun accident did not notice man on PMA

The driver of the car that hit him, 57-year-old Leck Hang Wei, pleaded guilty in court on Monday (4 Aug) to one count of careless driving.

He had been driving along Yishun Ring Road at about 2pm when he stopped at the junction with Yishun Avenue 5, reported Lianhe Zaobao.

While he waited in the extreme left lane for pedestrians to cross the road, he did not notice Mr Chen on his PMA.

He then started to turn left, though the traffic light had not yet changed to green.

When he hit Mr Chen, causing him to fall from his PMA, Leck got out of his car to assist and called an ambulance.

Driver sentenced to 6 months in prison

The prosecution noted that Leck had beat the red light and caused serious injuries to the victim, requiring 27 days hospitalisation.

However, Leck’s lawyer said his client was deeply sorry and did his best to assist the victim after the accident.

He was eventually sentenced to six months in prison and his licence suspended for five years.

Also read: Uncle on PMA gets hit by truck exiting Ubi building, driver stops to help

Uncle on PMA gets hit by truck exiting Ubi building, driver stops to help

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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.