Cyclist in critical condition after fall at OCBC event

SINGAPORE — A participant in the OCBC Cycle Singapore event on Sunday is in a critical condition, after falling and sustaining serious head injuries.

Full-time National Serviceman Chia Wee Kiat, 24, fractured his skull when he fell shortly after flag-off and has since undergone 13 hours of surgery to remove blood clots on both sides of his brain, said his cousin Kelvin Tan.

“His head is bandaged and he is still unconscious. Doctors are observing him and the next 48 hours will be critical,” said Mr Tan, who added that his cousin has been in an induced coma at the Singapore General Hospital’s (SGH) Intensive Care Unit.

“The family is in a very emotional state. He’s a regular cyclist and got into the sport a few years ago.”

Yesterday, news of Mr Chia’s accident was shared widely on social media, with many expressing their concern and wishing Mr Chia well. However, the account of events issued by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and the event organisers was disputed by eyewitnesses, throwing up questions over the location of the accident, as well as how soon medical help had arrived.

Mr Chia was competing in the 59km Super Challenge, which flagged off at 5.15am at the F1 Pit Building. The route then crossed into Bayfront Avenue and Sheares Avenue before going onto the East Coast Parkway (ECP) in the direction of Changi Airport, over Benjamin Sheares Bridge.

It was around 15 minutes into the race that Mr Chia met with the accident.

The SCDF said he was found near Benjamin Sheares Bridge, around the junction of Ophir Road. But eyewitness Tear Choo Hiang said Mr Chia’s bicycle flipped over some distance later, while he was riding downslope on Benjamin Sheares Bridge, near the Fort Road exit.

“It was at the end of the (Benjamin Sheares Bridge) slope and he went past me and I saw his bike flipping over and he fell,” said the 48-year-old, adding he “didn’t see any contact with other bikes and didn’t see anyone near him”.

How soon medical help arrived is also unclear. The SCDF said it was alerted to the accident at 5.36am, but could not say what time the ambulance arrived, only that the ambulance left the scene at 6.03am.

In a post on the event’s official Facebook page yesterday afternoon, organisers Spectrum Worldwide said they learnt of the accident at around 5.39am and medical personnel had arrived at the scene within three minutes.

Participant Matthew Chin, however, said he was at the crash site just minutes after Mr Chia fell and claimed that it was more than 20 minutes before help arrived.

In an update posted at 7.20pm, Spectrum Worldwide also apologised for wrongly stating that Mr Chia had arrived at SGH at 5.55am, when it was in fact 6.14am.

Speaking to TODAY, Mr Chia’s family members said they were not blaming the organisers for the accident, but wanted to know what happened.

Said Mr Tan: “What was revealed to us was different from what the witnesses told us. We are not upset about the response time and it’s not about who is at fault. We just want the truth about what happened.”

In a statement, Mr Chris Robb, Spectrum Worldwide Managing Director, said they were “still gathering the facts from eye witnesses to understand what happened to Mr Chia, including obtaining footage from the Land Transport Authority”.

Mr Robb also said Mr Chia’s father was immediately notified of the accident and met them at 1pm at the F1 Pit Building. But Mr Chia’s younger sister Jia Yin, who also participated in the event, wrote on Facebook at about 11pm on Sunday, lamenting that “it is extremely disappointing that there was no police or organising representative contacting the family members to offer assistance or show concern”.

Mr Robb said they met his family at the hospital yesterday morning, while OCBC Bank’s Head of Group Corporate Communications Koh Ching Ching added they are extending help to Mr Chia’s family and wished him a “quick and complete recovery”.

The organisers said that while the safety of participants is their “top priority”, accidents “unfortunately cannot be totally eradicated in sports events”.

He added that “numerous table-top exercises” are conducted with the authorities and their medical service provider to ensure they are prepared for accidents and that a post-event review is conducted every year, including “identifying ways to enhance the route and safety measures”.

Spectrum Worldwide said there were six event doctors, 16 event medics, 10 ambulances and nine fast response paramedics on motorbikes at the event on Sunday.

Out of close to 12,000 participants, 19 were sent to hospital for treatment that day. Sixteen were treated and discharged on the same day, with Mr Chia warded in ICU and two people listed in stable condition.