SINGAPORE – A woman fractured her spine in yet another lift accident at an HDB block in Bukit Panjang on Tuesday (June 7), Channel NewsAsia reported.
The news agency quoted the 59-year-old victim’s daughter Tracy Goh as saying that “when the lift reached the first storey, it shot up to the 11th, down to the third and back up to the 12th”.
Ms Goh added that her mother, known only as Mdm Yeo, grabbed the railing but still fractured her spine because of the strong impact. Also, there was a gap between the lift and the floor which made it hard for rescuers to save Mdm Yeo afterwards.
Mdm Yeo, a part-time cleaner, was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and was warded overnight for observation, Channel NewsAsia said. She declined to be interviewed but her daughter said she was told to return for follow-ups and physiotherapy sessions.
According to Channel NewsAsia, Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council has been issued with a notice to suspend the operation of the lift at Block 150 Petir Road, and to appoint an authorised examiner to conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the incident.
The town council also said in a statement that it would continue to offer assistance to Mdm Yeo.
The incident comes less than a month after an elderly man died when his mobility scooter toppled because the lift at the Pasir Ris HDB block where he lived was not level with the lobby floor.
Lianhe Wanbao, Shin Min
In March, an Indonesian maid was trapped in a malfunctioning lift at Block 317 Ang Mo Kio Street 31 after it shot up to the 20th floor and stalled.
Lianhe Wanbao, The New Paper
In January, months after an elderly woman had her hand severed by the doors of a lift in Jurong, a Punggol resident posted a video of a faulty lift he which continued to move even when one of its inner doors remained open.
Lianhe Wanbao, Shin Min Daily News, The New Paper, Internet screengrabs
huizhen@sph.com.sg
