Five minutes later to hospital, Jurong traffic accident victim might not have survived

Thinking it was a minor accident, he tried to stand up to pick up his motorbike so he could ride off.

But passers-by told him not to move, as a bone was sticking out of his left arm.

Slowly, the pain from his injuries crept in as he was lifted onto a stretcher and into an ambulance.

The last thing Mr Pereira remembered was seeing the doors of the accident and emergency unit at NUH.

When he awoke the next day, doctors told him that had he arrived five minutes later, he might not have survived, as he had lost a lot of blood.

Mr Pereira said: “I was scared I would not be normal again. I never expected (my injuries) to be so serious.”

As he could not move, nurses had to wipe him down and shower him.

He said: “It made me feel very helpless, but I told myself it was temporary.”

Screams of pain

Once he was out of the ICU, Mr Pereira had to learn to sit upright.

He had to be hoisted from his bed into a chair, as he could not put any weight on his pelvis.

He said: “When they hoisted me, I was screaming and crying in pain. After sitting in the chair for one minute, I begged the nurse to put me back in bed.

“Whenever I heard the squeaking wheels (of the hoist) coming down the corridor, I thought to myself, ‘They’re coming to torture me again’.”

Once he could sit for about 20 minutes, his physiotherapist put him in a wheelchair so he could try moving around. Since both his arms were broken, he used his feet to propel himself along the corridor.

Despite the painful physiotherapy sessions, Mr Pereira was determined to get well so as to return home.

He spent more than two months in the hospital before being discharged in November 2017. He weighed 74kg before the accident, but shed 15kg during the hospital stay and weighed about 59kg when he was discharged.

At home, his family helped him shower and change clothes.

He said: “They were very supportive of my recovery. There were many things I couldn’t do, but every day I saw improvements, so I kept pushing myself.”

Mr Pereira still has difficulty squatting, and walks with a limp.

Lingering trauma

Although he has recovered physically, Mr Pereira suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

When in private-hire cars, he tells the drivers that he had been in an accident and asks them to slow down and maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front.

Most drivers accede to his request.

Seeing brake lights causes his leg to move involuntarily, as if he is stepping on the brakes to reduce the vehicle’s speed.

He said: “The worst thing is seeing the accident site near my home. Going past it makes my heart skip a beat, because that’s where I almost lost my life.”

Since the accident, Mr Pereira said he has become a more grateful person.

He said: “Because I was in the hospital for so long, I realised that little things, like walking around and using my hands to scratch my face, are so important. I appreciate these things much more now.”

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction

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