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The court recorded a verdict of misadventure yesterday, essentially labelling the death an accident and saying no one was to blame. But Madam Chan's husband had some concerns over the investigation. During the hearing, Mr Tan Poh Heng, 50, asked how the cage could have collapsed if it had supposedly been checked days before his wife's death. Mr Tan, who attended the inquiry with his parents-in-law and two of his older sons, said he was shocked over his wife's death. 'I cannot accept her death,' said Mr Tan, a manager in a manufacturing company. Madam Chan began working at the school last August, filling in as a librarian, the coroner's court heard. She was told to switch the school's air-conditioning system on and off by flipping three levers located in the steel cage. Investigations showed that on Sept 7, Madam Chan and school clerk Jennifer Ong Poh Hong, 40, were at the air-con cage when Ms Ong noticed it was shaky. She reported the problem to the school. However, three days later, at about 7.45am, Madam Chan was apparently trying to open the gate to the compressor unit when the cage fell on her, the court heard. A cleaner discovered Madam Chan lying on the floor with the 3.35m by 2.03m by 0.77m cage covering her chest and lower body. Her husband estimated it must have weighed 200kg. School records showed the setup had been checked on Sept 5. Bedok police division headquarters' investigation officer Keith Aw Kok Leong said the Singapore Civil Defence Force received an emergency call at 8.14am on the morning of the tragedy. Two rusted screws believed to be from the cage were found at the scene. The cage fence was previously secured by six screws. Madam Chan died five days later of severe head injuries. Mr Tan said his youngest son, who is 15, was the hardest hit by the death. Madam Chan would stay up with him every night until he fell asleep. 'I have been crying almost every day when I am alone. It is very painful. I miss her every day,' said Mr Tan. He described his wife as a caring and likeable person whose priority was her family. Almost 200 of her colleagues turned up at her wake. Mr Tan, who was with her throughout her stay at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, said with tears in his eyes that they had been teased by colleagues and friends for being such a loving couple. They were told things would be very difficult should they be parted. Unfortunately, it has happened. 'But I have no regrets. I should have loved her even more,' Mr Tan said.
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