Man Hit by Concrete Slab That Fell from the ‘Sky’ in Little India

As a young child growing up, I’ve had my fair share of irrational fears.

Showering and getting stabbed stark naked by some guy in a mask.

Sleeping halfway and feeling something creeping from beneath your bedframe.

Santa isn’t actually real, and my life has been a lie.

Indeed, these were real fears I struggled with in the midst of my adolescence, though puberty somewhat mellowed them down. Besides, they are totally irrational. How could Santa not be real? Blasphemy. 

Yet, there’s one fear that reigns above all, even those above. This one, while irrational, still comes across as terrifying, and even till this day, I live in constant fear that one day I shall be the victim of my own fear.

Getting hit by something from the sky.

Sure, the phrase ‘money falls from the sky’ is cool, and I totally wouldn’t mind being hit by that. But hey, could you imagine getting hit something solid? Like…

A concrete slab?

While that might sound like mere nightmarish stuff, the fact remains that it could always be a possibility. And if you doubt my words…

Just ask this man.

He Who Was Hit By Concrete

On 27 Nov, a 35-year-old Malaysian, who works as a cook, was sitting on a ledge next to the walkway outside Wanderlust Hotel, when a falling plaster strip fell from the 2nd floor and hit him.

Subsequently, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) received a call for assistance at the boutique hotel in Dickson Road at 11:40 p.m. When the paramedics arrived, the victim, who works at Nasi Kandar coffee shop next to the hotel, was sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Videos of the scene have been posted on Facebook. You can check them out below:

According to Straits Times, the man was deemed to have suffered spinal injuries.

Clarification

After the incident occurred, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) expressed that a strip of architectural feature made of plaster, estimated to be 4m by 0.3m in size, had fallen off the second floor of the building.

“As an immediate precautionary measure, the affected area directly below, where the architectural feature had fallen from the building, and other parts of the building facade with the similar feature, have been cordoned off,” said a BCA spokesman.

As such, BCA has tasked the building owner to select a professional engineer to find out the cause of the incident. The hotel has also been requested to check the condition of the rest of the building facade, as well as make permanent rectification changes as recommended by the engineer.

Response

The Facebook videos, which were viewed a combined total of more than 500K views, also drew quite a few comments. And in case you’re wondering, they weren’t really positive.

While some expressed their horror at how dangerous the object was…

As well as how dangerous Singapore is becoming…

There were also some that urged the victim to find a good lawyer.

Incidentally, there was also a little discussion going on about the use of phones in the situation.

But seeing how one-sided it seems to be, let’s not go into specifics.

And with that said, you should probably…

Watch where you’re going

My mum has always preached: “When you walk, look out. And don’t walk under areas where there are objects above you.”

And while I’ve admittedly not paid much heed to her words, I guess it’s all going to change.

A concrete slab? Are you kidding me?

As a wise old man would put it:

“Better safe than sorry ah.”