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At about 5.50pm, Ms Jing, an assistant at a machinery company, was cycling from her workplace in Ang Mo Kio to her home in Bishan.
She was at a pedestrian crossing at the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 and Avenue 4 when a black car hit her bicycle from behind.<<<
Is it leegal to cycle along the pedestrian crossing in the first place?
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msgtxt><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#000000 colSpan=2><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width="100%" bgColor=#000000><TBODY><TR><TD>7 months after accident, victim spots driver and chases him for 30 mins to foot medical bill</TD></TR><TR><TD class=font12w>BUMP INTO ME? PAY UP </TD></TR><TR><TD class=font12w><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left><TBODY><TR><TD class=font12w>By Vivien Chan</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=font12w><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=font12w>September 20, 2009</TD><TD width=30>
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</TD></TR><TR><TD class=rightline vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=font12 vAlign=top align=left>WHEN she was hit by a car late last year, the driver avoided paying her medical bills in full.
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</TD></TR><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-2]UPSET: Ms Jing with her police and medical reports. She has told her lawyer to claim $400 from the driver. --PICTURE: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS <!--<COPYRIGHT>--><!--</COPYRIGHT>-->[/SIZE][/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>So when she bumped into the driver near a shopping mall seven months later, she refused to let him escape a second time.
She confronted him, and he took off. That's when the chance meeting led to a dramatic chase on foot.
She chased him for about half an hour. Exhausted, both stopped to catch their breath - panting, resting but glaring at each other - until the police arrived.
It may seem like a scene out of a comedy but the 25-year-old Chinese national, who gave her name only as Ms Jing, found nothing amusing about it.
The pair first crossed paths on 25 Sep last year.
At about 5.50pm, Ms Jing, an assistant at a machinery company, was cycling from her workplace in Ang Mo Kio to her home in Bishan.
She was at a pedestrian crossing at the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 and Avenue 4 when a black car hit her bicycle from behind.
The impact threw her off her bicycle. She landed by the side of the road about a metre away.
Her jeans were torn and her right thigh was bleeding.
Kept saying sorry
She told The New Paper in Mandarin: 'I blacked out for a while until the driver got out of his car. He kept calling to me and saying 'sorry'. He told me not to cry.
'He said he did not see me and told me not to call the police.'
The driver then drove her to a nearby clinic and waited with her for a while. But he later said he had to rush off.
Before he left, he gave Ms Jing his handphone number and $50 for her medical bill. But Ms Jing said her bill later came up to $73. This was verified by her lawyer.
She had suffered cuts and bruises on her right leg.
She recalled: 'I didn't have money with me so I called my landlord, who arrived with $23.'
She claimed that her new bicycle, which had cost her $80, was so badly wrecked that she could not use it anymore.
When Ms Jing got home, she called the driver.
'I told him the $50 was not enough,' she said. 'I also said the doctor had advised me to go to the hospital to check if my leg was fractured.'
The man asked her how much she wanted. But she claimed it was 'not just about money, but about responsibility'.
The driver then told her he would take her to a hospital the next day. She waited at her house for two hours the next morning. He did not turn up.
His handphone was turned off when she called him.
Ms Jing said she was in so much pain that she could not walk, so she called the police, who called an ambulance for her.
She did not make a police report about the accident, nor did she get the driver's particulars. She said she was not aware she should do so when an accident involves injury, or when a cyclist is involved. (See report on facing page.)
At the hospital, she had an X-ray done, and was given medication. She claimed she was advised to do a scan for her head and neck but did not do so as she did not have enough money.
Still, Ms Jing's hospital bill came up to almost $330, and she was given a week's medical leave. She said she could not walk for almost one month.
Said Ms Jing, who came to Singapore two years ago: 'My monthly salary is $1,500 with overtime pay and my rent is about $400 a month. With the hospital bill, I was really struggling.'
Lost contact number
For a few weeks, she tried in vain to contact the driver. She later lost his contact number, she said.
Ms Jing had given up on finding the driver who hit her - until 30 Apr, seven months after their first encounter.
She was walking to Ang Mo Kio Hub with a friend when she saw the driver, who was alone.
She recognised the man, who looked to be in his 40s, as he was balding and wore a unique pair of spectacles.
She confronted him and asked if he recognised her.
But he stared at her for a while before brushing her aside.
Ms Jing said he knew who she was, which made her even more angry.
The feisty woman then told him: 'It's okay if you don't recognise me. I recognise you. It's bad luck for you to meet me again.
'I said he was irresponsible. And then he ran away.'
Ms Jing told her friend to call the police while she gave chase.
Passersby were stunned when she and the man weaved through the crowd at Ang Mo Kio Central. As they ran, Ms Jing shouted at him to stop.
But he kept running.
Throughout the chase, MsJing was on the phone with her friend, updating her on her location.
Finally, after running 'a big round around Ang Mo Kio', they ran into a church at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1.
Both panting, the pair glared at each other.
The police arrived shortly after.
A police spokesman confirmed a report was lodged. The man was later issued summons and fined for careless driving.
Ms Jing, who is returning to China on Tuesday for good, said she has engaged a lawyer to help her claim compensation from the man.
Her lawyer, Ms Catherine Lim, said that she has been instructed to claim about $400 from the man for Ms Jing's medical fees.
Lawyer Kasturibai Manickam said Ms Jing should have made a police report because she was injured, though it is not an offence for failing to do so.
'She should have also taken down his vehicle registration number,' Ms Manickam added.
She said Ms Jing can take up a civil suit against the driver for damages.
Ms Jing said she didn't want to get him into trouble, as all she wanted was to be compensated for her medical bills.
'But he was irresponsible.'
<HR SIZE=1 width="90%">
What to do in an accident
YOU should make a traffic accident report if the accident involves:
1. A government vehicle or damage to government property; or
2. A foreign vehicle; or
3. A pedestrian or cyclist; or
4. Injury
5. A hit-and-run.
In other cases, there is no need to lodge a police report.
Instead, the parties should exchange particulars and lodge a General Insurance Association motor accident report with their respective insurance company.
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At about 5.50pm, Ms Jing, an assistant at a machinery company, was cycling from her workplace in Ang Mo Kio to her home in Bishan.
She was at a pedestrian crossing at the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 and Avenue 4 when a black car hit her bicycle from behind.<<<
Is it leegal to cycle along the pedestrian crossing in the first place?
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msgtxt><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#000000 colSpan=2><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width="100%" bgColor=#000000><TBODY><TR><TD>7 months after accident, victim spots driver and chases him for 30 mins to foot medical bill</TD></TR><TR><TD class=font12w>BUMP INTO ME? PAY UP </TD></TR><TR><TD class=font12w><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left><TBODY><TR><TD class=font12w>By Vivien Chan</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=font12w><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=font12w>September 20, 2009</TD><TD width=30>
</TD><TD width=10> </TD><TD width=30>
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width=150 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD>
She confronted him, and he took off. That's when the chance meeting led to a dramatic chase on foot.
She chased him for about half an hour. Exhausted, both stopped to catch their breath - panting, resting but glaring at each other - until the police arrived.
It may seem like a scene out of a comedy but the 25-year-old Chinese national, who gave her name only as Ms Jing, found nothing amusing about it.
The pair first crossed paths on 25 Sep last year.
At about 5.50pm, Ms Jing, an assistant at a machinery company, was cycling from her workplace in Ang Mo Kio to her home in Bishan.
She was at a pedestrian crossing at the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 and Avenue 4 when a black car hit her bicycle from behind.
The impact threw her off her bicycle. She landed by the side of the road about a metre away.
Her jeans were torn and her right thigh was bleeding.
Kept saying sorry
She told The New Paper in Mandarin: 'I blacked out for a while until the driver got out of his car. He kept calling to me and saying 'sorry'. He told me not to cry.
'He said he did not see me and told me not to call the police.'
The driver then drove her to a nearby clinic and waited with her for a while. But he later said he had to rush off.
Before he left, he gave Ms Jing his handphone number and $50 for her medical bill. But Ms Jing said her bill later came up to $73. This was verified by her lawyer.
She had suffered cuts and bruises on her right leg.
She recalled: 'I didn't have money with me so I called my landlord, who arrived with $23.'
She claimed that her new bicycle, which had cost her $80, was so badly wrecked that she could not use it anymore.
When Ms Jing got home, she called the driver.
'I told him the $50 was not enough,' she said. 'I also said the doctor had advised me to go to the hospital to check if my leg was fractured.'
The man asked her how much she wanted. But she claimed it was 'not just about money, but about responsibility'.
The driver then told her he would take her to a hospital the next day. She waited at her house for two hours the next morning. He did not turn up.
His handphone was turned off when she called him.
Ms Jing said she was in so much pain that she could not walk, so she called the police, who called an ambulance for her.
She did not make a police report about the accident, nor did she get the driver's particulars. She said she was not aware she should do so when an accident involves injury, or when a cyclist is involved. (See report on facing page.)
At the hospital, she had an X-ray done, and was given medication. She claimed she was advised to do a scan for her head and neck but did not do so as she did not have enough money.
Still, Ms Jing's hospital bill came up to almost $330, and she was given a week's medical leave. She said she could not walk for almost one month.
Said Ms Jing, who came to Singapore two years ago: 'My monthly salary is $1,500 with overtime pay and my rent is about $400 a month. With the hospital bill, I was really struggling.'
Lost contact number
For a few weeks, she tried in vain to contact the driver. She later lost his contact number, she said.
Ms Jing had given up on finding the driver who hit her - until 30 Apr, seven months after their first encounter.
She was walking to Ang Mo Kio Hub with a friend when she saw the driver, who was alone.
She recognised the man, who looked to be in his 40s, as he was balding and wore a unique pair of spectacles.
She confronted him and asked if he recognised her.
But he stared at her for a while before brushing her aside.
Ms Jing said he knew who she was, which made her even more angry.
The feisty woman then told him: 'It's okay if you don't recognise me. I recognise you. It's bad luck for you to meet me again.
'I said he was irresponsible. And then he ran away.'
Ms Jing told her friend to call the police while she gave chase.
Passersby were stunned when she and the man weaved through the crowd at Ang Mo Kio Central. As they ran, Ms Jing shouted at him to stop.
But he kept running.
Throughout the chase, MsJing was on the phone with her friend, updating her on her location.
Finally, after running 'a big round around Ang Mo Kio', they ran into a church at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1.
Both panting, the pair glared at each other.
The police arrived shortly after.
A police spokesman confirmed a report was lodged. The man was later issued summons and fined for careless driving.
Ms Jing, who is returning to China on Tuesday for good, said she has engaged a lawyer to help her claim compensation from the man.
Her lawyer, Ms Catherine Lim, said that she has been instructed to claim about $400 from the man for Ms Jing's medical fees.
Lawyer Kasturibai Manickam said Ms Jing should have made a police report because she was injured, though it is not an offence for failing to do so.
'She should have also taken down his vehicle registration number,' Ms Manickam added.
She said Ms Jing can take up a civil suit against the driver for damages.
Ms Jing said she didn't want to get him into trouble, as all she wanted was to be compensated for her medical bills.
'But he was irresponsible.'
<HR SIZE=1 width="90%">
What to do in an accident
YOU should make a traffic accident report if the accident involves:
1. A government vehicle or damage to government property; or
2. A foreign vehicle; or
3. A pedestrian or cyclist; or
4. Injury
5. A hit-and-run.
In other cases, there is no need to lodge a police report.
Instead, the parties should exchange particulars and lodge a General Insurance Association motor accident report with their respective insurance company.
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