By Crystal Chan

THEY were loading their luggage into the boot of a taxi when they heard a loud screech.

Before they could react, a lorry slammed into them, pinning them between the two vehicles.

The accident at Yishun Avenue 6 on 13 Oct left the two victims, who are students from Myanmar, not only badly injured, but also in a financial bind.

Miss Phyo Thidar Tun, 28, needs further surgery on her shattered legs in Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) while her friend, Mr Zaw Myo Lwin, 28, is recuperating in a nursing home.

They were worried over how to pay their medical bills as they have no personal accident insurance. Miss Thidar's bill is almost $60,000 while Mr Zaw's is about $20,000.

Initially, when their lawyer, Mr Lawrence Lang, wrote to NTUC Income, the insurer of the lorry, it said it had no knowledge of the accident.

But when The New Paper contacted Income on 30 Oct, it said it had reached an interim settlement with the victims to foot their current bills.

While the victims are relieved by the news, Miss Thidar is still concerned over future medical bills. Both her legs were severely injured and she has been told she will need more surgery and therapy.

The accident happened when she and a former roommate were moving from their rented room in a Yishun flat to another room nearby.

Miss Thidar had asked her friend, Mr Zaw, to help with their luggage. The former roommate, Miss Thiri Yadanar Kyaw, escaped unhurt.

Speaking to The New Paper from her hospital bed, Miss Thidar said in halting English: "It was so sudden that we had no time to react. I just heard some screeching and then we were stuck between the lorry and the taxi."

Miss Thidar and Mr Zaw said they were in so much pain they could barely move.

Mr Zaw said from his bed in Econ Medicare Centre in Choa Chu Kang: "From where I lay, I could see that Thidar's legs were badly crushed.

"My left leg was hurting but I could still move it."

Miss Thidar's lower left leg was almost severed from the impact of the crash. She also suffered a chest injury.

She has undergone five operations to repair damaged ligaments and insert implants to straighten her left foot. A TTSH spokesman said the tibia bones in both legs were fractured, requiring bone stabilisation and muscle reconstruction.

"She will require further knee surgery and bone grafting for the tibia to resume daily activities. She has a long rehabilitation period ahead," the spokesman said.

He quits job to care for her

Miss Thidar also has to breathe through a tube as her chest hurts when she tries to breathe on her own. She said she can't even turn over in bed without a nurse to help her.

"I can't move at all. All I do is to lie in bed and read magazines," she said.

Her youngest brother, Mr Thi Ha Swe, 21, has quit his sales job in Kuala Lumpur to come here to care for her.

He said: "Our mother knows about my sister's accident but she can't travel as her back is injured. I'm not comfortable leaving my sister alone in Singapore, so I have to quit my job to care for her."

They have three other siblings and their parents are divorced.

Miss Thidar has studied accountancy atN2P2Professional Training, a private school, for six months.

Mr Thi said: "My sister will miss out on her classes but our priority is for her to get well first. And then, we will worry about the hospital bill. We don't have so much money."

Mr Lang said that if the need arises, Miss Thidar would have to make another claim from Income.

While Mr Zaw's injuries are less serious, his left leg, which was fractured, needs physiotherapy.

The ITE Dover student was discharged from TTSH on29 Oct and moved to the nursing home the next day.

His recovery is expected to take three months, said Mr Lang.

Mr Zaw said: "All my classmates have visited me and the school has informed me that I'll have to re-take two modules when I've recovered."

His transfer to the nursing home was arranged by his elder brother, Mr Min Lwin, 36, a factory supervisor.

Driver injured

ComfortDelgro is aware of the accident, said its corporate communications head, Ms Tammy Tan.

"We understand that the lorry's insurer has been liaising with the students with regards to this matter," she said. "Our driver was also injured in the accident and we are assisting him with his claims."

An Income spokesman told The New Paper it was able to verify its client's role in the accident only on 30 Oct as he did not report the crash to Income.

Referring to its offer to settle the victims' current bills, he said: "Having spoken to the driver and visited Miss Thidar at the hospital to understand details of the accident, we've worked out a solution to help the claimants during this period.

"While we acknowledge that the claimants would have preferred a more timely outcome, their claim was handled as expeditiously as possible."

He added that for all third-party claims, it is standard industry practice to assess the liability of the insured party and the amount claimed.

When contacted, a manager for student services at N2P2said the school was aware of the accident.

He said: "Her family has informed us but we're unable to help her because she has no insurance cover for personal accidents."

An ITE spokesman said all its students are insured but the payout for medical expenses is capped at $2,000.

He said: "The college will arrange for him to seek special financial assistance to help tide him over this difficult period.

"We will also arrange for printed notes to be provided for him, and conduct remedial classes when he is well enough to return to campus."

The police are still investigating the accident.

This article was first published in The New Paper.

crystalc@sph.com.sg