You probably don’t need me to tell you about what happened at NEX Shopping Mall just a couple of days ago.
Two people were sent to the hospital with injuries and everyone started getting interested in airconditioning ventilation ducts.
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Well, there’s now been an update to the situation.
Several updates, actually, so let’s go through it one by one.
1. All Shaw Cinemas To Be Inspected
According to Straits Times, a spokesperson for Shaw Theatres said they’re not just inspecting the outlet at NEX Shopping Mall.
They’re also inspecting all Shaw Theatres at six other locations as well with the respective building managers.
The six theatres, located at Orchard, Jewel Changi Airport, Paya Lebar Quarter, Waterway Point, Seletar Mall and JCube will remain open.
The Shaw Theatre at Nex Shopping Mall has been closed temporarily on orders from the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), and they have to appoint a principal engineer to conduct a thorough investigation.
2. Victims Have Been Discharged From The Hospital
During the incident, two moviegoers were injured.
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Various images also show SCDF officers attending to an injured lady…
…and one who looks more serious.
According to eyewitnesses who spoke to MustShareNews, the ventilation pipe had crashed through the ceiling, and pieces of the ceiling had hit a moviegoer, too.
According to ST, the two injured moviegoers have been discharged from the hospital.
3. Who Can Sue?
Lawyers spoken to said that the two moviegoers can seek legal redress (read: sue) since they were “owed a duty of care by the cinema or mall”.
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Ms Gloria James-Civetta, the head lawyer at Gloria James-Civetta & Co, suggests that the pair could pursue a “tort action” against the cinema and get compensation for the pain and suffering, and even loss of income, that happened because of the incident.
Another lawyer, Mr Raphael Louis of Ray Louis Law Corporation, said the amount of compensation that can be obtained depends on how serious the injuries are.
In fact, he added, even those who were not physically hurt in the incident can make a claim, though they’ll have to back it up with a medical report.
So you cannot suka-suka say, I can’t go to the cinemas anymore because I’m afraid of falling aircon. Your doctor must be able to prove it.
4. Who Gets Sued?
So now we know who can sue, but who will take responsibility?
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The cinema? While it seems like a straightforward answer, it’s not.
It all depends on the lawyer of the plaintiffs (the ones doing the suing).
Also, the building owner might also be liable as well.
“The cinema does have a duty of care, to ensure safety. But the building management may be also equally responsible for the maintenance of the structure, and that could be beyond the cinema owner’s scope,” he said.
So if you’ve got a movie to catch at Shaw JCube, Tenet, next week, don’t be too paranoid. Chances are, the theatre would’ve been inspected, and any dangers taken note of and cordoned off from cinemagoers.
After all, once bitten twice shy and all that, yeah?
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Meanwhile, while waiting for more updates to the situation, why not find out what the experts think about the falling ventilation duct?
These five GRCs could see the tightest battle in GE2025; here’s why:
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