A four-year-long legal tussle between SMRT and a woman who was injured in an accident seems to have worn down the transport operator — they’ve agreed to bear 95 percent of all her medical costs.
The accident occured back in Dec 2011, where 54-year-old Ding Weibo fell into a coma after hitting her head against a metal bar on board SMRT bus service 167. She had boarded the bus along Orchard Road with her daughter and fell backwards when the driver abruptly jammed the brakes, hitting her head on a metal bar on one of the seats.
Channel NewsAsia reports that she underwent an operation to remove part of her skull to relieve swelling in her brain. Four years on, and Ding suffers from giddiness, headaches, poor memory and will probably need long term care.
Through her husband, she sued SMRT and the bus driver for negligence, even after the driver was already fined a total of $4,500.
SMRT defended themselves, stating that they were not responsible for the driver’s negligence and that Ding should have taken better care of herself by holding on to hand rails and sitting in available vacant seats.
Ding’s daughter however affirmed that her mother was holding on to the hand rails — but the impact was so great that she was unable to maintain her grip.
Several more arguments were lodged at each other, but what matters is that SMRT has now agreed to bear 95 percent of the cost associated with any injuries sustained during the accident.
Photo: Singapore Buses via Flickr
