'Always wear your seatbelt': Woman has 15 years wiped from memory after road accident
SINGAPORE — It would have taken her seconds to fasten her seat belt in a private-hire car, but she did not do so, as she felt Singapore's roads were very safe.
Nurul Azimah Mas'Ot's complacency nearly got her killed when the vehicle collided with a taxi on the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) on May 30.
The 21-year-old was catapulted from the rear seat to the car's dashboard, causing her to suffer head and spinal injuries.
She was in a coma for three days at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital's (KTPH) intensive care unit, underwent brain surgery and was hospitalised for over a month.
While therapy has helped Azimah recover her motor skills, she struggles with doing simple things like alighting from a bus or making digital payments.
This is because most of her memory from the last 15 years were wiped out after she regained consciousness.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force said that on May 30 at about 8.05pm, it was alerted to a road traffic accident along the BKE towards Woodlands before the Mandai Road exit.
Five people were sent to KTPH.
Police said a 69-year-old male taxi driver is assisting with investigations.