{"id":49385,"date":"2026-05-03T10:10:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T02:10:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=49385"},"modified":"2026-05-03T10:10:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T02:10:38","slug":"i-wondered-when-itd-be-my-turn-jurong-traffic-accident-victim-who-heard-others-flatlining-in-icu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=49385","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I wondered when it\u2019d be my turn\u2019: Jurong traffic accident victim who heard others flatlining in ICU"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">SINGAPORE &#8211; <!-- -->Mr Patrick Pereira remembers beeping monitors in National University Hospital\u2019s (NUH) intensive care unit (ICU), where he stayed for 10 days after a road accident.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He was riding his motorbike home from a family dinner when he was involved in a collision with a lorry along Jurong East Avenue 1 on Sept 10, 2017.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He broke both arms and suffered an open book pelvic fracture, where the pubic bones at the front of the pelvis separate, causing the two halves of the pelvis to splay outward like the pages of a book.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/courts-crime\/road-traffic-fatalities-hit-10-year-high-in-2025-with-149-dead-elderly-deaths-more-than-double?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\">Traffic deaths hit a 10-year high in 2025, with 149 killed,<\/span><\/a>\u00a0compared with 141 in 2016. There were 142 deaths in 2024. The number of injured people also increased, from\u00a09,342\u00a0in 2024 to 9,955 in 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Given\u00a0the dire situation on our roads, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/avoidable-deaths-silly-excuses-selfish-behaviour-why-singapores-road-culture-needs-to-change?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\">The Straits Times has been running a series of stories<\/span><\/a> to call on\u00a0all road users\u00a0to be\u00a0more\u00a0careful.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The motorcyclist who went through 9 surgical operations after a near-fatal crash.\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XI2jPz6UPiM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">In their annual statistics for 2025, released in February 2026, the Traffic Police said motorcycles made up about 15 per cent of Singapore\u2019s total vehicle population in 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Yet, motorcyclists and pillion riders were involved in 54.8 per cent of all traffic accidents and accounted for 53 per cent of deaths.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The number of accidents involving motorcyclists jumped from 3,973 cases in 2024 to 4,227 cases in 2025. The number of motorcyclist and pillion rider casualties increased from 4,510 in 2024 to 4,844 in 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Mr Pereira, now 55, who works in IT, underwent several operations to stop the bleeding in his abdomen, and had titanium rods inserted into his arms and pelvis. Doctors removed his damaged spleen and gallbladder.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">A contused nerve in his left arm was replaced with a nerve from his left leg.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He did not suffer serious head injuries as he was wearing a helmet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He said: \u201cIn the ICU, all (I could hear) was the heart monitor beeping. In the middle of the night, I sometimes heard the sound of (other patients flatlining), and their family members crying.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cI wondered when it would be my turn.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"portrait inline-media-wrapper\" style=\"--aspect-article-portrait:1140 \/ 985\" data-testid=\"inline-media-test-id\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col items-start relative w-fit\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/e883e48db67ca46d890d87998e723f3f561ed3b8634ee5394c0041041714f31a?w=480\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 720px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/e883e48db67ca46d890d87998e723f3f561ed3b8634ee5394c0041041714f31a?w=720\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 721px and max-width: 3999px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/e883e48db67ca46d890d87998e723f3f561ed3b8634ee5394c0041041714f31a?w=900\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 4000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/e883e48db67ca46d890d87998e723f3f561ed3b8634ee5394c0041041714f31a\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/e883e48db67ca46d890d87998e723f3f561ed3b8634ee5394c0041041714f31a\" alt=\"\" class=\"aspect-portrait flex items-start shrink-0 portrait article-portrait object-contain mobile:w-auto tablet:w-auto\" data-testid=\"image-test-id\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"mobile:mx-16 tablet:mx-00 flex flex-col gap-08 py-16 desktop:pb-24\">\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-secondary\" data-testid=\"inline-media-caption-test-id\">Mr Patrick Pereira suffered an open book fracture on his pelvis after his accident.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-placeholder\" data-testid=\"inline-media-credit-test-id\">PHOTO: COURTESY OF PATRICK PEREIRA<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">On the accident, Mr Pereira said his head hit the lorry\u2019s windshield and he fell onto the road.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Thinking it was a minor accident, he tried to stand up to pick up his motorbike so he could ride off.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">But passers-by told him not to move, as a bone was sticking out of his left arm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Slowly, the pain from his injuries crept in as he was lifted onto a stretcher and into an ambulance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The last thing Mr Pereira remembered was seeing the doors of the accident and emergency unit at NUH.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Mr Pereira said: \u201cI was scared I would not be normal again. I never expected (my injuries) to be so serious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">As he could not move, nurses had to wipe him down and shower him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He said: \u201cIt made me feel very helpless, but I told myself it was temporary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Once he was out of the ICU, Mr Pereira had to learn to sit upright.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He had to be hoisted from his bed into a chair, as he could not put any weight on his pelvis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He said: \u201cWhen 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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cWhenever I heard the squeaking wheels (of the hoist) coming down the corridor, I thought to myself, \u2018They\u2019re coming to torture me again\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"portrait inline-media-wrapper\" style=\"--aspect-article-portrait:1140 \/ 1518\" data-testid=\"inline-media-test-id\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col items-start relative w-fit\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/f0dd5e7700234db0672b694c658e7f07987531993a2c6b1e11859cc0271cfa45?w=480\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 720px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/f0dd5e7700234db0672b694c658e7f07987531993a2c6b1e11859cc0271cfa45?w=720\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 721px and max-width: 3999px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/f0dd5e7700234db0672b694c658e7f07987531993a2c6b1e11859cc0271cfa45?w=900\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 4000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/f0dd5e7700234db0672b694c658e7f07987531993a2c6b1e11859cc0271cfa45\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/f0dd5e7700234db0672b694c658e7f07987531993a2c6b1e11859cc0271cfa45\" alt=\"\" class=\"aspect-portrait flex items-start shrink-0 portrait article-portrait object-contain mobile:w-auto tablet:w-auto\" data-testid=\"image-test-id\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"mobile:mx-16 tablet:mx-00 flex flex-col gap-08 py-16 desktop:pb-24\">\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-secondary\" data-testid=\"inline-media-caption-test-id\">Mr Patrick Pereira was riding his motorcycle home when he was hit by a lorry in 2017.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-placeholder\" data-testid=\"inline-media-credit-test-id\">PHOTO: COURTESY OF PATRICK PEREIRA<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Despite the painful physiotherapy sessions, Mr Pereira was determined to get well so as to return home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">At home, his family helped him shower and change clothes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He said: \u201cThey were very supportive of my recovery. There were many things I couldn\u2019t do, but every day I saw improvements, so I kept pushing myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Mr Pereira still has difficulty squatting, and walks with a limp.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Although he has recovered physically, Mr Pereira suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Most drivers accede to his request.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Seeing brake lights causes his leg to move involuntarily, as if he is stepping on the brakes to reduce the vehicle\u2019s speed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He said: \u201cThe worst thing is seeing the accident site near my home. Going past it makes my heart skip a beat, because that\u2019s where I almost lost my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Since the accident, Mr Pereira said he has become a more grateful person.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He said: \u201cBecause 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/i-wondered-when-itd-be-my-turn-jurong-traffic-accident-victim-who-heard-others-flatlining-in-icu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SINGAPORE &#8211; Mr Patrick Pereira remembers beeping monitors in National University Hospital\u2019s (NUH) intensive care unit (ICU), where he stayed for 10 days after a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49387,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49385\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/49387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}