Incident Overview

In a startling incident that occurred last Friday evening, an elderly passenger, Mr. Othman Ahmad, 65, suffered significant injuries after falling on bus service 187 in Singapore. The incident took place around 7:20 PM, near Bukit Batok Central, as Mr. Othman was making his way home.

Mr. Othman's Experience

According to Mr. Othman, the bus driver accelerated unexpectedly before making a sudden stop, resulting in him losing his balance. "I tried to grab a pole, but didn’t manage to and went down. Everything went blank for a while," he recounted. Passengers quickly responded to the situation, with some urging the bus driver to halt and others seeking help.

Medical Response and Aftermath

Emergency services were alerted, and Mr. Othman was transported to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, where he received treatment for a head injury requiring stitches above his right eye. Although he was discharged within hours, Mr. Othman continued to experience troubling symptoms, including head pain and blurry vision, prompting concern about his health.

Work and Reporting Concerns

What adds to the shocking nature of this incident is Mr. Othman’s decision to return to work the following Monday without notifying his employer about the accident. Working on a contract basis, he feared that reporting the incident could jeopardize his job security.

Police Report and Compensation Attempts

On the following day, Mr. Othman filed a police report regarding the incident. Meanwhile, he attempted to reach out to SMRT for potential compensation but faced difficulty in getting through to the customer service hotline.

SMRT's Response

In response to inquiries, SMRT confirmed that the bus had just left a stop close to Bukit Batok Central when the incident transpired. Vincent Gay, SMRT's deputy managing director of buses, noted that no other passengers reported injuries and that the bus driver provided immediate assistance to Mr. Othman.

Communication Issues

Interestingly, SMRT only managed to get in touch with Mr. Othman after a friend called their hotline several days later, indicating a delay in communication concerning passenger welfare. Nevertheless, SMRT assured the public of their commitment to passenger safety and encouraged everyone to hold onto grab poles, stanchion poles, and hand grips aboard their buses.

Conclusion and Ongoing Investigation

As an unsettling reminder of the importance of safety measures on public transport, this incident raises several questions about the adequacy of training for bus drivers and the support systems in place for vulnerable passengers. Meaningful changes may be necessary to prevent future accidents and ensure that similar incidents do not leave other passengers in distress.

With the investigation ongoing, many are waiting to see how both SMRT and the police will handle this incident, and whether Mr. Othman will receive the support he deserves. Stay tuned for updates as the story unfolds!