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Gruesome pics here INFORMATION technology technician Derek Li's life has been put on hold ever since the front wheel of an SBS Transit bus crushed the toes of his left foot in the early hours of Nov 29 last year. Mr Li, 27, said he was walking from his grandmother's flat in Hougang Avenue 10 to his mother's home in Hougang Avenue 3 when the accident happened just after midnight. At the road junction outside Hougang Plaza, the traffic lights turned green for both pedestrians and turning vehicles, and he crossed. A single-deck, off-duty Service 74 bus was turning in his direction at the same time. He expected it to stop - but it did not. Mr Li's left foot was smashed. The sock he was wearing held the crushed bone and tissue together until paramedics arrived, he said. At the Changi General Hospital, he was told that he might lose all five toes. Eventually, three were amputated by Dec 12 last year. He has been in three hospitals since the incident, and does not know when he can be discharged. Speaking to my paper from his bed in an Ang Mo Kio community hospital yesterday, Mr Li, who earns $1,200 a month, said that his second and fourth toes are intact, but he can no longer move them. He is expected to be able to walk again using both feet, but must wear a special shoe fitted for his left foot. "I will be walking with a permanent limp," said Mr Li, who now needs the help of a wheelchair to negotiate longer distances. A letter from the NSman's doctor to the Singapore Armed Forces states that Mr Li has sustained fractures and extensive de-gloving injuries to his left foot. This means that the skin and subcutaneous tissue have been torn off in glove-like fashion. He has undergone five operations, with a plastic surgeon attaching to his wound a 20cm by 8cm skin graft taken from his left thigh, and a 20cm-long muscle flap from his back. When contacted, Ms Tammy Tan, SBS Transit's corporate- communications senior vice-president, said the transport company has been assisting Mr Li with his medical and hospitalisation expenses. "We are deeply sorry for the pain caused to Mr Li and his family," she said in an e-mail. When asked about compensation, she added: "It is imperative that Mr Li quantifies the components of his claim. Due to a conflict of interest, we are not able to assist him in this regard. "We have, however, suggested that he approach the Legal Aid Bureau for assistance in this matter. We will continue to assist him where possible." Mr Li, whose parents are divorced, lives in a two-room flat with his mother, a factory worker. His father is a lorry driver He hopes that SBS Transit will offer compensation of at least $500,000. "I have at least 40 more years ahead of me. How am I supposed to go on? My boss says I can go back to work any time, but even the thought of taking public transport to work is daunting," said the Institute of Technical Education graduate.