The only other working lift in a block of flats in which a 59-year-old woman injured her spine due to a malfunctioning lift, has broken down, claims a resident in a letter to this publication.
In an incident which happened on 7 June this year, the lift at Block 150 Petir Road “over-ran” and injured the woman. Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council (HBPTC) which responded to the accident said on Jun 9 that it had suspended the operation of a lift and that it had appointed an authorised examiner to conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the incident.
The town council said in their statement that the woman, who it identified only as a Madam Yeo, was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and warded for overnight observation before being discharged the next day on June 8. It said that it would continue to offer assistance to Mdm Yeo, who works as a part-time cleaner.
It is reported that the woman lives on the ninth floor of the HDB flat, and that she was going to the ground floor at the time of the accident. When the lift reached the ground floor, it suddenly shot up to the eleventh, and then down to the third, before shooting back-up to the twelfth.
The cleaner’s daughter in speaking to Channel NewsAsia said, “the impact was strong and my mum grabbed the railing but still fractured her spine. And when rescuers came, the gap between the lift and the floor made it hard to rescue my mum.”
A resident who wrote to us today said that the only other functioning lift in the same block broke down this afternoon. This has greatly inconvenienced the older residents and those that live on the higher floors he said.
He further claimed that a few months after the other lift was shut down (following the accident) for major repairs, nothing has been done. He said that he was disappointed with the MP for his area for not acting quickly to resolve the matter.