E-scooter rider charged over Bedok accident that killed cyclist

SINGAPORE - An e-scooter rider appeared in court on Monday (Nov 11) over his alleged involvement in a Bedok North accident that killed a cyclist in September.

Hung Kee Boon, 20, was charged with causing the death of logistics assistant packer Ong Bee Eng, 65, by performing a rash act.

He was also handed two charges under the Active Mobility Act.

Madam Ong is believed to be the first fatality from a collision with a personal mobility device (PMD) on a public path here.

She was cycling to her home in Chai Chee Street at around 10pm on Sept 21 after attending a wake when the accident occurred.

She was unconscious when she was taken to Changi General Hospital.

Madam Ong suffered a serious brain injury, as well as fractures to her ribs and collar bone, and fell into a coma.

She died four days later.

[[nid:462771]]

Friends and family had described Madam Ong, a widow with two children and two grandchildren, as a helpful and well-respected woman.

After the incident, a petition on change.org calling for the ban of PMDs and e-bikes gained traction.

As of 7.30am on Monday, it had more than 75,000 signatures.

There were 228 reported accidents involving PMDs on public paths in 2017 and last year, with 196 of them resulting in injuries.

Since Nov 5, e-scooters have been banned from footpaths. This is the latest and toughest measure yet to address public safety concerns surrounding their use.

Those caught flouting the rules can be fined up to $2,000 and jailed for up to three months if convicted.

From now until the end of the year, the authorities will mainly issue warnings to errant riders, but a zero-tolerance approach will be taken from next year.

The ban means that e-scooters will be confined to 440km of cycling paths islandwide, instead of the 5,500km of footpaths riders could use before.

If convicted of causing a death by rash riding, Hung can be jailed for up to five years and fined.

ALSO READ: E-scooters to be banned from Singapore footpaths from Nov 5

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.