Woman in ICU after being hit by 'flying wheel chock' while waiting for bus at Jalan Boon Lay

She was waiting for the bus to go home from work, but the next moment, the 34-year-old laid injured and unconscious on the ground.

The woman, surnamed Deng, had been hit by a "flying wheel chock" to her head in the freak accident which occurred last Thursday (April 14) at a bus stop along Jalan Boon Lay, Shin Min Daily News reported.

A wheel chock is an object usually placed against the wheels of vehicles to prevent accidental movement.

In an online appeal for witnesses posted on Saturday (April 16), her cousin Melissa Chow said the incident is believed to have occurred between "12.12pm and 12.40pm".

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/chow.y.melissa/posts/10158185699166883[/embed]

She wrote: "My dear cousin was hit and run by a flying wheel chock (???) to the left side of her ear.

"The impact was so great that she fell on her right, injuring both sides of her face, her ears, eyes, and neck."

Chow added that Deng suffered a head injury and had internal bleeding. "It's been two days and she's still in ICU, and can only respond by lifting a finger."

In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, her older brother told the paper that he had received a notification from his sister's boss about the accident.

The family then rushed to the National University Hospital where she was warded to see her.

"According to the hospital, my sister was hit by a wheel chock to the head," said her brother, who added that Deng also suffered a broken vertebrae and injuries to her ears as a result of the impact and fall.

Following emergency procedures to save her life, Deng was warded in the intensive care unit (ICU) where she remained unconscious for one full day.

Although she regained consciousness a day after the incident on Friday, Deng is still unable to communicate verbally and can only move her finger in response.

Her brother said Deng, an admin staff, worked at a factory near Jalan Boon Lay and was on the way home when the accident happened.

Till now, their family remains clueless as to how Deng could have gotten hurt, said the brother. They lodged a police report and had also gone to the scene of the accident, but are still unclear as to what exactly happened.

There are also no closed circuit cameras in the vicinity, added the brother.

"We guessed that the wheel chock must have dropped from a vehicle and ricocheted off the ground, hitting my sister. As the location is an industrial area, we couldn't find any eye witnesses. Right now, we have a lot of questions that we cannot find the answers to," he added.

He hopes that the driver of the vehicle can be held accountable and be liable to pay compensation.

"Whether it was intentional or not, the person caused harm to my sister and should bear some responsibility."

Deng's brother also described to the Chinese evening daily how the family have been left grief-stricken by the incident. While Deng's life is out of danger, she is expected to require physiotherapy when she recovers. It is also not clear if she would be able to work or go about her regular daily activities.

"My sister is a caring, kind-hearted person, it has been very hard for the family to see her like this."

candicecai@asiaone.com