42-year-old Myanmar national Maung Maung Aung Soe Thu, initially sued the Public Utilities Board (PUB) after his bicycle tyre got stuck in a drain cover and threw him off his bicycle.
He had wanted to sue PUB for $578,000 in damages.
However, on 7 September, both sides decided to settle on the second day of the hearing, agreeing to settle the lawsuit without either sides being found liable for the damages.
The settlement conditions are being kept confidential and not made public.
Maung is expected to return to his home country of Myanmar tomorrow (9 September) after the conclusion of his case against the PUB.
Didn’t see the drain cover
Maung said in his written statement to the court on 6 September that the dried leaves on the road obscured his view of the gap in the drain cover, and that he didn’t see the drain cover as he had turned his head to check for traffic.
His lawyer also added that the gaps in the drain were parallel to the road and inconsistent, and insisted that PUB be liable for the accident.
No complaints since 2000
PUB’s lawyers argued that they had no complaints about the drain covers along that stretch of road since it was constructed in 2000, and that in the last 10 years, there were only 12 verified accidents caused by drain covers.
And of the 12 incidents, only 5 involved cyclists (including Maung) and 4 out of the 5 cyclists sustained minor injuries.
They also pointed out that Maung had neglected his own safety by cycling on the road instead of on the park connector.