Hawker Who Had Just Lost His Brother to Lung Cancer a Week Ago Crushed His Fingers After Going Back to work

Tragic Turn of Events: Hawker Suffers Severe Hand Injury After Brother’s Death

The narrative of Zheng Jingbao, a 50-year-old beverage stall hawker who recently lost his brother to lung cancer, poignantly illustrates the adage, “hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”

Tragically, Mr Zheng’s life took a turn for the worse when he experienced a horrific accident on his first day back at work after his brother’s funeral.

While working at Maxwell Food Centre around 10 pm on the night of 23 Nov, Mr Zheng suffered a severe injury.

The accident occurred as he was closing the stall and cleaning the sugarcane juice machine, a task that marked the end of a long, grief-filled day.

This was his first day back after attending his brother’s funeral.

Earlier in the year, Mr Zheng had also endured a divorce, resulting in his children living with their mother.

Mr Zheng was cleaning the lower rollers of the machine, a routine he hadn’t performed in a long time since his late brother usually took care of this task.

The machine was still running because flipping the roller underneath for cleaning required the machine to be operational.

Normally, cleaning the machine effectively would be impossible if it were not running.

However, while engaged in this task, a customer at the stall shouted, seemingly trying to alert Mr Zheng to danger.

It was at this moment that Mr Zheng realized his left hand was caught in the machine.

In his interaction with Lianhe Zaobao, he recalled feeling numbness in his left hand initially, with no sensation at all, until after he was rescued and began experiencing intense pain.

A quick-thinking customer called for an ambulance, and a nearby vendor, Ms Zhang, aged 70, witnessed the incident.

Initially believing it to be a minor issue, Ms Zhang was shocked to discover Zheng’s hand trapped in the machine, his face pale with shock.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted and arrived in the shortest time to help a man whose left hand was trapped in a sugarcane juice machine.

Highlighting the importance of reserving emergency calls like 995 for critical incidents, the SCDF, including its elite Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART), promptly initiated a rescue operation.

An SCDF paramedic administered painkillers and monitored Mr Zheng’s vital signs during the operation.

Assistance was also provided by a repairman from the machine’s supplier, who managed to reverse the roller, freeing Mr Zheng’s hand by approximately 11:40 pm.

Mr Zheng described the harrowing experience, recounting how his hand felt numb while trapped, but upon release, he experienced excruciating pain.

He was then taken to Singapore General Hospital, still conscious.

The ensuing medical operation lasted about 16 hours, as reported by Lianhe Zaobao.

The aftermath was devastating: Mr Zheng lost more than half of his fingers, with doctors unable to save his index and middle fingers, and his pinky finger being amputated due to infection.

He was told he would need to stay hospitalised for three to four weeks, with no clear timeline for recovery.

This leaves Mr Zheng facing an uncertain future, questioning his ability to continue working.

Glimmer of Hope From The Community

However, there is a glimmer of hope in the form of support from his community.

Fellow hawkers have shown concern, with four to five vendors expressing their intention to donate and assist him during this challenging time.

Another stall owner voiced hope for additional donors to help Mr Zheng, and others are appealing for to reduce his stall rental due to his circumstances.

Mr Zheng and his elder brother had been running the stall since taking over from their mother in 2000.

The future of the stall remains uncertain, but with the support from the public, there is hope that Mr Zheng will recover both physically and mentally from this tragic series of events.