9-year-old falls from Bukit Batok playground, suffers internal bleeding & ruptured kidney
An evening at the playground turned into a medical emergency for a nine-year-old boy in Bukit Batok, who had to undergo surgery to remove his kidney after a fall left him with internal bleeding.
The incident happened around 6pm on 20 June, near Block 443D Bukit Batok West Avenue 8, where the boy, Liu Junwen, had been playing with a group of neighbourhood children.
Source: Google Maps
Boy falls from monkey bars & hits abdomen on plastic divider
According to Shin Min Daily News (SMDN), Junwen’s father, Mr Liu Zhiyuan, 46, said the boy had slipped while playing on the monkey bars and landed heavily on a plastic divider, hitting his abdomen.
At first glance, the injury appeared minor. Junwen returned home crying and repeatedly said he was in pain, but there were no visible wounds.
Mr Liu noticed only that his son’s face was slightly pale.
“I told him to rest for a while, but he kept crying that his stomach hurt,” Mr Liu recalled. “He also kept asking for water.”
Later that evening, while bathing him, Junwen’s mother Madam Zheng Meiyan, 38, noticed blood in his urine — a clear sign that something was wrong.
The family rushed him to the hospital at around 9pm.
Scan shows ruptured kidney, emergency surgery needed
A scan revealed that Junwen’s right kidney had ruptured, and doctors warned that his condition was critical.
Source: Jacob Lund on Canva. Pic of illustrative purposes only.
He was taken in for emergency surgery at midnight on 21 June.
The tear in his kidney was estimated to be 10cm long and too severe to repair — surgeons had no choice but to remove the entire organ.
The operation took about three to four hours, after which Junwen was placed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at National University Hospital for monitoring.
Parents urge others to supervise children at play
Mr Liu told Shin Min the family never expected something so serious to happen to their son, who was already old enough to play unsupervised.
“He’s already nine years old. We thought he would know how to take care of himself and be careful,” said Mr Liu.
“I just hope this serves as a reminder to other parents that it is best to have an adult around when their children are playing.”
Source: Shin Min Daily News
When Shin Min reporters visited the scene, many children were still playing at the same playground. Some had adults watching over them, but others were unsupervised.
The monkey bars involved in the accident are estimated to be 1.8 metres high.
According to Shin Min, there has been no official announcement of a safety review or inspection at the playground.
Also read: 2-year-old girl hit by metal hook at Sengkang playground, sustains bloody gash on head
2-year-old girl hit by metal hook at Sengkang playground, sustains bloody gash on head
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.
