An ordinary trip to the market to buy lohei ingredients for Chinese New Year (CNY) turned into a nightmare for 68-year-old Mrs Chan.
She was waiting for her husband to pick her up when she was hit by a massive branch that measured 16cm in diameter.
Mrs Chan has since undergone spinal surgeries for her injuries.
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Mr Chan — the victim’s husband — said her wife’s medical bills had exceeded S$72,000 as of last Wednesday (5 Feb).
The 68-year-old suffered injuries to her spine, head, and ribs as a result of the incident.
Doctors even had to insert nails into her vertebrae.
Even though Mrs Chan is covered by an insurance policy, her husband pointed out that she might still have to pay 20% or 30% of the total medical expenses.
Mr Chan is also worried about other expenses in the future, such as the costs of physical therapy and the costs of hiring a helper to take care of Mrs Chan.
In a separate interview with The Straits Times, Mr Chan said his wife has been extremely weak since the incident. She also experienced bouts of coughing blood and has a diminished appetite.
Additionally, he shared that the family was “despondent” over Chinese New Year due to the incident. The mounting hospital bills only exacerbated matters.
To prevent similar incidents, Mr Chan hopes that more checks will be conducted on trees, especially during holiday seasons when decorative lights are hanging from them.
“I hope that the same incident doesn’t happen to anyone else,” he said.
MS News has reached out to NParks for more information.
Also read: Woman hit by falling tree branch in Redhill sent to SGH, bloodied tissues left on the ground
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Shin Min Daily News.
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