Bus coma patient awakes, mental health worries

UPDATE

The elderly woman who fell into a coma after falling down on an SMRT bus has woken up, but more problems persist, reported The New Paper (TNP).

54-year-old Ding Weibo fell into a coma after falling down on an SMRT bus on 18 December. Ding’s condition has gone from bad to worse when her brain swelled even after an operation to remove part of Ding’s skull to relieve pressure in her head, AsiaOne reported.

The family was overjoyed when Ding woke up from her coma on 31 December. However, when she started speaking three days later, new worries surfaced for the family that came to Singapore in 1998, and are now permanent residents, TNP wrote.

Ding's 58-year-old husband, You Bujia, told the paper that when his wife started speaking three days after she woke, her thoughts were in disarray. He added that she would call her daughter by their dog's name, and she has yet to call him by his name even though she recognises him.

He also described to TNP that her behaviour was now "abnormal". Doctors also said that it was possible for Ding to have suffered mental disability and the loss of memory due to her head injuries.

Ding was with her 27-year-old daughter, Ding Xiao Sui, at Orchard Road near the Heeren on the night of 18 December when they both boarded bus service 167 at around 8pm. 

While on the bus, the bus captain suddenly jammed the brakes, causing Ding to lose her footing and fall. She then hit her head on a seat and fell unconscious after fracturing her skull in the fall.

The bus captain responsible for Ding’s fall has been suspended. He had been an SMRT service leader for about two years.