SINGAPORE – Motorcyclist Mahmud Azmani Fikri was waiting for the red light to turn green at a junction in Tampines when his world suddenly went dark.
When he opened his eyes, he was lying heavily bandaged on a hospital bed, his body plastered with bruises and patches where skin used to be, unable to move his legs.
On Dec 23, 2021, a drunk driver ploughed into five vehicles, including Mr Mahmud’s motorcycle, that had stopped at a red light along Tampines Avenue 10.
The driver had been travelling at speeds of up to 169kmh. The impact killed a Gojek driver, 59, and injured six others, including Mr Mahmud.
Mr Mahmud, who was crushed between two cars, suffered a traumatic brain injury, damage to his spinal cord, and multiple fractures on his right leg. There was also a hole on his chin caused by flying debris.
He now has a metal rod in his right leg and multiple screws in his neck and shoulders.
X-rays showing injuries and metal screws in Mr Mahmud’s right leg after he was crushed between two cars in the December 2021 accident.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MR MAHMUD AZMANI FIKRI
Pulling up his jeans to reveal his injuries as he spoke to The Straits Times on April 9, 2026, Mr Mahmud, 28, who is unemployed, said the crash happened so fast he could not remember anything about it.
“When I woke up in hospital, it felt like only half my body was awake. I was covered in bandages like a mummy and could not move my legs at all. I thought I’d never walk again,” he said.
Mr Mahmud in the hospital after the accident.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MR MAHMUD AZMANI FIKRI
Singapore’s roads are now at their most dangerous in years, with traffic deaths hitting a 10-year high of 149 in 2025 compared with 141 in 2016.
Given this dire situation, ST will be running stories to remind all road users, including drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians, to be responsible on the road.
The stories will include those of accident victims, investigation officers and trauma experts, among many others, to highlight the irreversible consequences of a traffic accident, regardless of whose fault it is.
Mr Mahmud suffered a traumatic brain injury, damage to his spinal cord and multiple fractures on his right leg.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Lying in bed, Mr Mahmud’s worst fear was being bedridden for life.
He said: “I had to get help eating and drinking. I even felt like a baby, because I had to wear diapers and needed the nurses’ help to change them. I felt helpless.”
After 66 days in hospital and more than six operations, he was discharged. The recovery process was difficult for Mr Mahmud, who was working in logistics and delivery before the accident.
His mother, who lived in Malaysia at the time, moved to Singapore to care for him. For five months, she took him to weekly physiotherapy sessions, a 10-minute walk from their flat in Jurong.
Mr Mahmud with (from left) his sister, grandmother and mother in May 2022.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF MR MAHMUD AZMANI FIKRI
On one occasion, they were at a traffic light when one of the wheels of his wheelchair got stuck in a drain, and his mother could not get it out.
He said: “I wanted to help her, but could not. I felt like such a burden.”
He could finally walk again slowly without help in August 2022, eight months after the accident.
On Dec 23, 2021, a drunk driver ploughed a Mercedes-Benz into five vehicles, including Mr Mahmud’s motorcycle.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
The drunk driver, Jeremiah Ng En You, was handed a seven-year jail term and a driving disqualification of 12 years after his release.
Mr Mahmud has to suffer the consequences of Ng’s actions for life. He said: “I used to love playing soccer with my NS (national service) friends. Now I can’t play anymore, so I just watch them from the benches.”
He also used to run weekly and must now settle for brisk walking.
“When I run, I cannot balance my body with metal in my legs. I can only brisk-walk for about 20 minutes before feeling tired,” he said.
The impact of the vehicle killed a Gojek driver and injured six others, including Mr Mahmud.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
Despite having post-traumatic stress disorder, Mr Mahmud was determined to get back on a motorcycle, which he did almost two years after the accident.
He said: “I tried taking public transport, but when I sat in the priority seats, people stared at me. Physically, I look okay, but they don’t know my condition. Being judged affected me, so I started riding again.”
He still gets flashbacks of the accident, especially when near the site. For safety reasons, he avoids riding on expressways and during peak hours.
Mr Mahmud could finally walk again slowly without help in August 2022, eight months after the accident.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Regarding Ng, Mr Mahmud said the man should have called a valet or a cab. “Why didn’t he just take the opportunity to make the road safer?”
Ng appealed against his jail sentence for dangerous driving causing death, which the High Court dismissed in 2025. The district judge who sentenced him said he treated the roads like a Grand Prix driving circuit.
After his brush with death, Mr Mahmud said: “My message (to the public) is, before you do something reckless on the road, think about others. They have a family to go home to.”