A teenage girl was walking in Yishun last month when she met with an accident that caused her considerable pain.
She’d accidentally stepped into a gap at a construction worksite near a bus stop.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
This caused her to fracture her ankle — an injury from which she would take five months to recover.
The girl in question is 19-year-old student Huang Jiamin (transliterated from Mandarin), reported Shin Min Daily News.
On 21 Feb at about 11am, she was walking past the bus stop on Yishun Central opposite Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH).
Source: Google Maps
The bus stop was under construction at the time, with a temporary bus shelter erected.
Jiamin told Shin Min that she had just taken out her phone to make a call.
However, her left foot unexpectedly stepped into a gap of about 20cm deep at the construction worksite.
Panicking, she used her right foot to steady herself but lost her balance.
She ended up breaking her right ankle.
While Jiamin was in extreme pain, three kind-hearted people thankfully came over to help and called an ambulance.
The police also arrived at the scene to investigate.
She was admitted to KTPH on the same day. After the painkillers wore off, she was in so much pain that she cried, she told the paper.
As her right ankle was too swollen, doctors said they would have to wait for the swelling to subside before surgery.
The ankle would have to be supported with screws and iron plates, and it would be three months before it even starts to recover.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
That means she would need an estimated five months to complete rehabilitation and walk normally. Follow-up visits would also be required.
Due to the lengthy recovery period, Jiamin would be forced to miss her polytechnic graduation ceremony in April.
She would also have to cancel some plans. She said she was planning to apply to universities and go for interviews.
The teenager fretted that she wouldn’t be able to walk as she did before, and lamented that she hasn’t even started wearing high-heeled shoes yet.
She added that she would not be able to do many exercises at the gym.
While in the hospital, she experienced nightmares, dreaming about what had happened, she revealed.
Jiamin’s father, named only as Mr Huang, told Shin Min that he checked out the accident site the next day.
He found that the gap had been filled, yellow warning lines had been painted, and railings installed.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
However, on the day of the incident, there were no warning signs or railings around the worksite, Jiamin claimed.
Mr Huang hoped the relevant authorities would offer some explanation and compensation for the incident. He said the accident wouldn’t have occurred if measures had been taken.
He maintained that upgrading facilities is good, but warning signs should’ve been put up. If an elderly person had fallen, the consequences would’ve been disastrous, he added.
A spokesman from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) told Shin Min that they’re aware of the incident and have provided assistance to the injured. They also wished her a speedy recovery.
They said the upgrading of the bus stop is expected to be completed next month.
When it’s done, users will have barrier-free access, especially elderly folks and parents with kids in strollers heading to KTPH.
As the safety of the public and workers is paramount, temporary measures like ramps, safety cones and barricades were put up at the worksite to alert and guide pedestrians.
After the incident, yellow lines were added to the ramp’s edges, and the barricades were adjusted to improve visibility on the pedestrian passageways.
The spokesman added that the effectiveness of the additional measures would be monitored, and further improvements would be made if necessary.
Unfortunately, Jiamin’s case is not the only one involving a person falling into gaps in public places.
In February 2021, a 71-year-old woman fell into an uncovered drain in Bukit Panjang, suffered a severe ligament rupture, and fractured her finger.
She sued the town council for over S$60,000 in damages but lost the claim.
MS News wishes Jiamin a speedy recovery from her injuries and hopes she’ll be able to live her life as normal soon.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.
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