Cyclist killed in NTU accident lost balance, fell into path of shuttle bus: Coroner

SINGAPORE - A novice cyclist who was killed in an accident at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) may have lost her balance while trying to get back on her bicycle and fallen into the path of an oncoming campus shuttle bus, a coroner's inquiry found on Monday (Oct 11).

State Coroner Adam Nakhoda ruled Ms Wong Siew Yuen's death "an unfortunate and tragic traffic misadventure" and found no evidence of foul play.

At around 8.40pm on May 3, Ms Wong, 49, was cycling with her friend and colleague, Mr Tan Keng Hoon, at NTU when the accident happened.

The pair had known each other for about two years and had cycled and ran together for about six months before the accident.

Mr Tan said that Ms Wong, a Malaysian, had bought the bicycle involved in the accident about two weeks earlier.

He described the terrain where the accident took place in Nanyang Drive as easy to cycle over and added that while he had cycled there before, it was Ms Wong's first time.

They decided to have dinner at about 8.30 pm and cycled along Nanyang Drive in the direction of Lien Ying Chow Drive.

They crossed Nanyang Drive at a zebra crossing.

In camera footage from a passing SBS bus, Ms Wong can be seen dismounting after the zebra crossing and standing on the left side of the bicycle.

Mr Tan was riding his bicycle about 5m ahead of her as she bent over to look at the bicycle's rear tyre, its bicycle chain, or both.

A campus shuttle bus was going straight along Nanyang Drive and its driver, Mr Mandeep Singh, said he was driving at about 10 to 13 kmh.

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Footage from the front camera of the shuttle bus showed Ms Wong standing at the pavement to the left of her bicycle as the shuttle bus neared the zebra crossing.

As the vehicle approached where she was standing, she could be seen standing up and may have been about to remount her bicycle, said the state coroner.

"As she was attempting to remount her bicycle, Ms Wong may have lost her balance and fallen onto Nanyang Drive. Tragically, she fell into the path of the bus's oncoming left rear tyres," he added.

The tyres ran over her upper body. She died instantly.

The cause of death was head and chest injuries consistent with those sustained from a vehicle accident.

The coroner expressed his condolences to Ms Wong's family.