Driver accused of ‘abusing’ Woodlands accessible parking lot claims he has mobility issues from past accident
A driver slammed for parking in an accessible parking lot at a Woodlands carpark has clarified that he continues to suffer injuries sustained in a traffic accident, urging netizens not to jump to conclusions.
The complaint, shared on the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page on April 1, alleged that a driver had been “abusing” the parking lot at Block 570 Woodlands Avenue 1 — a multi-storey carpark — for several months.
Footage accompanying the Facebook post shows a man dressed in black moving from the front passenger seat to the driver’s seat of a car parked in an accessible parking lot.
“I saw a man with NO disability whatsoever, coming out of the driver’s seat. He is perfectly fit and healthy. He has no walking disability whatsoever,” the user wrote.
Suffered spinal cord injury in 2020 accident
Shin Min Daily News reached out to the driver, identified as Badridd, who explained that although he could walk and drive, he still met the criteria for the Car Park Label Scheme (CPLS) due to a traffic accident years ago.
According to SG Enable, the CPLS provides two types of labels to allow drivers with medically certified mobility challenges to park at accessible spaces so they can open their vehicle doors fully to board and alight.
Badridd revealed he was sending his brother to work on Dec 16, 2020 when he lost control of his car in an attempt to avoid an oncoming motorcycle. The car crashed into a tree, leaving Badridd in a coma for the next three to four months.
At one point, doctors had reportedly informed his family that he only had a 20 per cent chance of survival.
Videos of the accident, seen by Shin Min Daily, show Badridd lying unconscious covered in blood. The left side of his neck had a gash about 5cm long and his left arm was bent in an unnatural position.
After the accident, he was diagnosed with a spinal cord injury, resulting in numbness on one side of his body. In addition, he had suffered a mild stroke on the left side of his body.
Following the evaluation and advice of his doctors, Badridd retook his driving test and received a Class 1 label for parking. CPLS states that Class 1 label holders may “park at the accessible parking lot for any duration when the registered vehicle is driven by the driver.”
Badridd added that he cannot park in regular carpark lots as he needs his car doors to fully open in order to board and alight.
Impacted by negative comments
As for the complaint posted on social media, Badridd said the online vitriol had negatively impacted him and his family.
“It took me a long time to recover from the trauma of the accident. Now, netizens are accusing me of misusing the parking lot just because I seem to be able to move normally, forcing me to explain my injuries and bringing back those horrible memories,” Badridd said.
Hopes post will be removed
Even though he has no intention to confront the person who recorded the video, Badridd expressed a desire for the Facebook post to be taken down.
He added that his sister reached out to the Facebook page’s administrator shortly after seeing the post, demanding its removal. However, there has reportedly been no response.
“We believe this is misinformation. The admins should not allow users to continue commenting in the comments section,” he said. At the time of writing, the post had received over 500 likes and 330 comments, with the comments section yet to be disabled.
Badridd himself has also posted a picture of his Class 1 Car Park Label in the comments.
Badridd believes the video was recorded by a resident in the area, and said several Facebook users have reached out to him with the individual’s personal information. However, he did not feel the need to confront the person.
“For me, the point of this incident is not to investigate or argue, but to ask people to understand that no one should jump to hasty conclusions based solely on a person’s appearance.”
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