Elderly man injured after wheelchair caught in broken drain
An elderly Paya Lebar resident sustained injuries to his head and knees after falling from his wheelchair when it got caught in a broken drain cover.
Photos shared by Shin Min Daily News show the man bleeding from his head and knees.
The incident happened near Block 121 Paya Lebar Way at around 6am on Nov 6. According to Mrs Feng, the man’s wife, their helper would push the man in his wheelchair over the drain to a coffee shop for breakfast on weekdays.
The family had noticed cracks and holes in the drain covers three months prior to the accident. Despite the safety risks, they still decided to continue using that path as it was the only route to the coffee shop.
On the day of the accident, the helper forgot Mr Feng’s daily reminder to be cautious while crossing the drain.
As she pushed the wheelchair over the drain, one of the wheels got lodged in the drain cover’s opening. This led to Mr Feng losing his balance and falling forward out of his wheelchair, hitting his head and knees on the ground.
Mrs Feng said the helper was so shocked that she fell on the ground too.
A passer-by quickly helped Mr Feng back into his wheelchair and even bought him a drink.
Since there were no signs of serious injuries, they decided not to visit the hospital. Mrs Feng helped clean and applied medicine to her husband’s injuries at home.
Later in the afternoon on that day, the helper went out to buy groceries and noticed the drain cover had been replaced.
Marine Parade Town Council was notified of the accident and contacted Mr Feng and replaced the broken drain cover that day. They also inspected other drain covers in the vicinity.
The town council added that works under the Neighborhood Renewal Programme are underway, including upgrading drain covers.
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