Boy's actions caused door to dislodge

SINGAPORE - A four-year-old boy suffered neck pains and a cut on his head after a 3m-tall glass door broke off from its hinges and fell on him.

The incident occurred at Westgate mall in Jurong East around 6pm on Thursday.

Closed circuit television footage from the mall showed that the boy had been playing with the glass door near My First Skool on the fifth floor.

He had been pushing and swinging the glass door, eventually causing it to fall and trap him underneath.

Fortunately, the glass door had been laminated and tempered, which prevented it from shattering and further injuring the boy.

Two women, one of them believed to be the boy's mother, rushed to the scene, lifted the glass and freed the trapped child.

Shin Min Daily News and Lianhe Wanbao reported that two bystanders took a first-aid kit to the location to help.

A doctor from the Healthway Medical Clinic on the fourth storey of the mall also rushed to tend to the boy.

She said in an interview with Lianhe Wanbao: "The boy was lying on the ground with a cut on his head and bruises on his face. There were also shards of glass stuck on his clothes."

She added that the mother was very calm despite the boy's cries.

FIRST AID

Mr Eddie Lim, the centre manager of Westgate, said in a statement yesterday that an employee at the Kids Club on the fifth storey, who is trained in first aid, attended to the boy and bandaged his injuries.

The employee also called an ambulance and later accompanied the boy and his mother to hospital.

Mr Lim added: "Our investigations revealed that the boy had over-extended the glass door when he swung it, causing it to hit the door frame and dislodge.

"We are sorry to hear of this accident.

"The boy remains in hospital for observation, but is seen to be in a stable condition. We wish him a speedy recovery and continue to extend our help to him and his family."

He said the mall's contractor had conducted checks on all their glass doors and panels overnight and ensured that they were safe for use.

"Additional measures will also be taken to prevent a recurrence of such an incident."

A receptionist on the fifth storey told The New Paper that she had noticed a crowd of about 20 people around the area after the incident.

"I saw blood on the ground where the door had fallen on the boy," she said.

Tenants on the fourth storey said they saw several police officers on their way to the floor above around 6pm that day.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it was alerted to the incident at 6.05pm.

An ambulance was sent to the location and the boy was taken conscious to the National University Hospital.

colintzx@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Aug 9, 2014.
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