Stomper's 71-year-old wife who broke jaw in PMD accident still in pain weeks later
A 71-year-old woman who suffered multiple jaw fractures after being hit by a personal mobility device (PMD) in Pasir Ris is still in pain weeks after the accident, her husband said in a recent update.
Stomper Frank Singam shared with Stomp that his wife Malar Kandasamy returned to Changi General Hospital on Jan 4 to have the wires that had kept her jaws shut removed.
"The doctor replaced the wires with elastic bands that will continue to keep the jaws aligned," the 74-year-old said.
However, Frank said his wife experienced pain on the side of her face where plates had been inserted and also suffered a mild anxiety attack during the process.
"After some time she calmed down, as the pain subsided," he said, adding that the next few days would be painful as her jaw muscles adjust.
Malar is now able to open her mouth slightly more but remains on a liquid diet. She will continue to be reviewed weekly by doctors.
"I just want everyone to know that it hurts to see my wife go through this after that unnecessary accident," Frank said.
Malar was injured on Dec 10, 2025 after she was reportedly hit from behind by a PMD rider along a shared pavement near Pasir Ris Mall and a polyclinic.
She fell face-first onto the concrete pavement, with her chin absorbing the impact. Doctors later found that her jaw had fractured in three places.
She underwent surgery on Dec 12, during which plates were inserted and her jaw was wire-locked to aid recovery.
At the time, the couple said they did not blame the rider in his 50s, who later apologised at the hospital. They did not lodge a police report, as they believed the incident pointed to broader issues with infrastructure design and safety on shared pavements rather than the fault of any one individual.
In his latest update on Facebook, Frank reflected on the challenges authorities face in managing shared spaces used by pedestrians, PMD and personal mobility aid (PMA) users, cyclists, delivery riders and other road users.
He said that since the accident, he has received visits and responses from the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the Ministry of Transport, and Members of Parliament from Pasir Ris.
He also noted that changes have since been made to the accident site.
"They removed the brown signboard and trimmed the hedges around it," he said. "This means pedestrians coming down the stairs are no longer blindsided from the left, and cyclists coming down the slope can better see people using the stairs.
"There is also a 'Look Out' sign at the bottom of the stairs. It's not perfect, but it does help a bit. The best solution would be to remove the stairs."
However, he questioned whether safety should take precedence over convenience and efficiency when designing such spaces, and whether more could be done to prevent similar incidents, especially involving seniors and children.
"Can we have assurances from the authorities that the average person will be able to return home safely as he or she left it, and not be seriously injured by a personal mobility device operator as my wife experienced?" he wrote.
"Can the authorities commit to that, especially for the seniors and juniors, who are experiencing a higher degree of injuries where wheels and legs mix, as statistics indicate?"
The Active Mobility Act, which sets out rules for the safer use of public paths, came into force in May 2018.
According to LTA, the number of accidents on public paths has been on a general decline since 2019, falling from 303 cases that year to 104 in 2024.
However, such incidents continue to result in serious injuries and, in some cases, deaths.
Based on combined data from 2022 to 2024, the Tan Tock Seng Hospital Trauma Centre recorded an average of 15 to 16 admissions a year for moderate to severe PMD- and PMA-related injuries, The Straits Times reported.
These figures do not include minor injuries, which are typically managed at emergency departments or outpatient clinics.
Higher admission rates were observed among those aged between 20 and 40, as well as those aged 50 to 70.
Members of the public can report errant riding to LTA via the MyTransport.SG app.
