SINGAPORE: The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has put out an appeal for information, seeking to identify a foreigner who knocked down a mother and a child along an East Coast Park footpath, while riding his bicycle.
The family took to social media last month, posting a desperate plea for the cyclist to come forward and take responsibility after he seemed to ghost them following the incident.
Facebook user Andrew Foo said that the nightmare unfolded when he and his family, including his wife, four-year-old son, and toddler daughter, walked along the shared pedestrian and bicycle path within East Coast Park on June 25. The family walked in single file as they were aware of the potential hazards with oncoming bicycles.
However, when Mr Foo’s wife momentarily turned away from the path to attend to their four-year-old son walking behind them, she saw a bicycle hurtling towards them. Before she could react, the cyclist crashed into her, causing her to fall backwards and forcefully hit her head, dislodging her glasses.
Upon regaining her composure and rising to her feet, she noticed her hearing seemed muffled, leaving her momentarily disoriented. Her attention then turned to her distressed two-year-old daughter, who was in tears and had sustained multiple abrasions on her face and body, resulting in visible bleeding.
The mother was kept under observation for a day at the hospital and was diagnosed with a fractured coccyx, requiring a ten-day hospital leave. The two-year-old daughter, only discharged on June 27, experienced physical injuries, including several abrasions.
The child also with the emotional trauma of the event and required the assistance of three nurses to have her wounds properly bandaged due to an intense fear of strangers that developed after the traumatic crash.
The distraught couple said that the cyclist identified himself as George and said that he was an Englishman in his twenties. After colliding with the mother and daughter, he downplayed the severity of their injuries, remarking that they should recover swiftly.
Expressing remorse, George promptly provided the victims with two contact numbers, one local and the other in the United Kingdom.
Mr Foo recounted that at the time of the accident, George was accompanied by another foreign cyclist, possibly a teenager or young adult in his 20s. Both individuals were observed wearing dark shorts while riding their bicycles shirtless.
The family said last month that they have lodged a police report and the SPFÂ confirmed that an investigation is underway.
The police published a photo of the suspect on its website today and appealed for those with information on his identity and whereabouts to come forward.
Revealing that it has classified the incident as a case of rash act causing hurt, SPF appealed: “Anyone with information is requested to call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information via i-Witness at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information received will be kept strictly confidential.”
Foreign cyclist knocks down mother & child along ECP, he then ghosts them when contacted