A cyclist who took part in Sunday's OCBC Cycle Singapore event is in critical condition after fracturing his skull 15-20 minutes into the race.
24-year-old Chia Wee Kiat, a full-time National Serviceman, underwent 13 hours of surgery at Singapore General Hospital to relieve blood clots on both sides of his brain but there are fears he may never make a full recovery. He is currently warded in the Intensive Care Unit.
Chia began cycling three years ago and was taking part in the 59km Super Challenge category in Singapore's biggest cycling event, reported local media.
He reportedly crashed while on a downslope from the Benjamin Sheares Bridge and it's unclear if he fell on his own or was involved in a crash with others.
The accident has also raised concerns if there were adequate emergency services on standby at the mass cycling event, currently in its fifth edition.
Event organisers Spectrum Worldwide said in a Facebook post they were notified of the accident at approximately 5.39am and medical personnel attended to him within three minutes. It added that he was then sent to SGH by an ambulance and arrived there at 5.55am, although it later apologised and clarified the ambulance arrived at SGH at 6.14am.
However, a Facebook reader Matthew Chin disputed this and said it took much longer for the first responder to arrive.
"OCBC, get your facts straight. You did not respond in 3 minutes. It took more than 20 minutes for the medic on the scooter to arrive. How do I know? I arrived at the crash site just minutes after Mr Chia fell. We waited for what seemed like forever for someone to arrive. That's my story and I'm sticking to it," he said.
Spectrum Worldwide later said it was still "gathering facts from eye witnesses to understand what happened to Mr Chia including obtaining the footage from LTA (Land Transport Authority)".
"We are equally concerned. We are extending help to Mr Chia’s family where it is needed. We wish Mr Chia a quick and complete recovery," it added.
They also said there were six event doctors and 16 event medics, 10 ambulances and nine fast response paramedics on duty at the event, which drew close to 12,000 participants.
The serious accident resulted in delayed starts for the other ride categories on Sunday, which meant some riders could not complete their events on time.
"We have also received feedback from participants on other aspects of this year’s event, including the route and safety, as well as the delayed starts of certain ride categories. Whilst our current priority is the above incident, we thank you for your feedback and will respond as soon as possible," said the organisers.
Now more bad news and reputation for Singapore. Accident in organise and plan competition. Medical help only reach after more than 20min.
What does it mean??
Riot in Little India I not surprise police officer reach after 30min which is unplan.
All now are useless BoChap attitude.