'My biggest injury so far': Cyclist gets stitches after bag stuck in his wheel sends him crashing into parked car

Accidents happen, even to the best of us.

For one cyclist, it was the carrier bag he had hung on his handlebar that was his undoing when it got caught on his front wheel, causing his bike to veer towards the left and crash into the back of a stationary car parked along Mandai Road, he recounted in two posts on Facebook group Love Cycling SG today (Jan 28).

The force of the impact resulted in dents across the car's roof and boot cover, as well as a broken rear window screen.

The cyclist, who was cycling home from his workplace at the time of the accident, suffered two large gashes across his forehead. The helmet he was wearing at the time also broke as a result.

"My helmet saved me or else I would have easily gotten a fractured skull," he wrote, adding that he had to get stitches at Khoo Teck Phuat hospital, as well as a CT scan and an X-ray on both his torso and pelvis.

He's also lodged a police report and hopes to discuss compensation details with the owner, he said. 

While the cyclist plans on commuting to work via bicycle again after he's recovered, he declared that he would invest in a rear rack for his belongings to prevent a repeat of the incident. In the meantime, he plans on travelling via public transport, he said.

According to the Singapore Road Safety Council, cyclists should watch out for items that could get tangled in their pedals or other moving parts of the bicycle.

rainercheung@asiaone.com