Source: Lianhe Zaobao & ION Orchard website
In 2021, a girl got her finger mangled after using a hand dryer at ION Orchard.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the family was later awarded a compensation of S$170,000, following an out-of-court settlement.
On the evening of 11 Dec 2021, the girl’s father, 38-year-old Mr Chia, who works as a personnel in the automotive industry, took his family to ION Orchard for dinner.
After the meal, his domestic helper took his three daughters to the women’s restroom in basement four.
There, his then-five-year-old daughter Kara went to dry her hands using one of the electric dryers in the bathroom. However, the dryer she used had a missing partition.
As she placed her hand in the hand under the dryer, the exposed blades cut through her index finger.
Source: Lianhe Zaobao
Mr Chia, through lawyers Raj Singh Shergill and Desiree Koh of Lee Shergill, sought compensation for his daughter’s pain and suffering, medical and caregiving expenses, as well as the cost of future treatments.
This included prosthetic fittings that require replacement every few years.
The negligence lawsuit was resolved through an out-of-court settlement after a full-day mediation between the parties in Sep 2024.
After the lawsuit had been settled, Mr Chia breathed a sigh of relief and said that the compensation of S$170,000 was secondary. He mainly wanted to seek some justice for his daughter.
In an interview on Saturday (18 Jan) morning, Mr Chia told Shin Min that his eight-year-old daughter is currently fine physically, but still needs time to adjust mentally.
He explained that Kara still feels emotional whenever she thinks about the incident. Her family encourages her to cry to ease her emotions.
He said that Kara used to be a confident and sociable girl, but she had become more reserved after the incident.
He said: “Once, a classmate saw her hand while queuing up. He was afraid of hurting her and refused to hold hands with her.”
“She would tell us when she came back from school, and we would help to manage her emotions.”
Kara currently has prosthetic fingers and it takes a longer time for her to perform actions requiring fine motor skills, such as buttoning clothes and tying her hair.
Mr Chia said his daughter is adapting positively.
She is very brave and even shows us what bravery is.
Also read: Girl’s Finger Mangled By Hand Dryer In ION Orchard, Shopping Mall Investigating Case
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Featured image adapted from Lianhe Zaobao & ION Orchard website.
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