If there’s one thing you should know while on a pedestrian footpath, it’s that pedestrians take priority there.
I mean, it’s literally in the name.
However, it seems like a food delivery rider who was on her Personal Mobility Aid (PMA) near Bukit Batok last Thursday (4 May) didn’t get the memo.
On that day, the food delivery rider collided with a two-year-old boy at around 6.15 pm along the pedestrian footpath near Block 177 Bukit Batok West Avenue 8.
After the incident, the rider got defensive and even told the boy’s mother that the collision happened because the boy “wasn’t walking properly”.
Boy Was Walking in Front of Mother When Incident Happened
Su (Hanyu pinyin), the boy’s mother, told Shin Min Daily News that she and her son were walking home after doing some shopping outside.
At that time, her son was walking in front of her while she was carrying a few bags behind him.
Right before the incident, she heard the sound of a PMA approaching, prompting her to turn around.
At that moment, the delivery rider rode past her son, which was when the collision happened.
Delivery Rider Left Without Apologising
Su, 35, added that she immediately went up to confront the food delivery rider after seeing her son get knocked down in front of her eyes.
However, the rider remained adamant that the incident was not her fault and only occurred because Su’s son “did not walk properly”.
The rider then left the scene without apologising or showing concern for Su’s son.
Son Suffered Injuries to Nose Bridge
After the incident, Su found out that her son had sustained an injury to his nose bridge.
She also mentioned that her son sobbed inconsolably after the incident.
Even though he is relatively fine now, his fear still lingers, and he still needs to be comforted by adults.
Apart from that, Su expressed worry over the injury affecting her son’s appearance in the future.
According to her, the doctor said that time would tell if the injury would leave any noticeable scarring.
Beyond the injuries, Su pointed out that since her son is still young, it is inevitable that he might sometimes walk with “too much” of a spring in his step.
(Literally.)
However, she added that since they were travelling along a pedestrian walkway, the food delivery rider should have slowed down while driving her PMA.
Mother Posted About Incident Online; Netizens Offered Photo of the Food Delivery Rider
Following the unpleasant encounter with the food delivery rider, Su decided to post about the incident online.
In her post, she mentioned how she hoped that the food delivery rider would take accountability for her actions.
After posting the photograph online, some netizens even offered photos of the rider in the comments section to help Su and her husband have a better chance of finding the rider.
They also provided details about where the food delivery rider can usually be found.
As for why these netizens had these details about the rider, Su disclosed that she had previously seen the same rider in the area multiple times, which is most likely why others have an impression of the rider as well.
Su then revealed that the rider eventually apologised after seeing the social media post about her.
The rider, a lady named Wendy, contacted Su at around 11 pm of the day when the post was uploaded and requested for the post to be taken down.
Su’s husband then insisted that Wendy apologise to the family face-to-face before they take down the post.
When Su brought her child to see the doctor the following day (5 May), the rider appeared at the clinic to apologise to the family.
The rider also paid for the $130 bill incurred by the boy’s visit to the doctor.
Apart from that, Su pointed out that although the rider was driving a PMA, she “was not disabled” and “did not seem to have trouble with her mobility”.