Large Tree Fell in Toa Payoh, Crushing Several Vehicles

Imagine your vehicle getting damaged by falling branches not once, but twice, and in the same location?

That was what happened to Mr Mohammad Norman Gatot Isman.

In Jun 2020, the rear windscreen of his car was shattered by a falling tree branch in the carpark next to Block 68 Lorong 5 Toa Payoh.

Then, he did not receive compensation from the insurers of Toa Payoh-Bishan town council for the incident.

He was told that due to Covid-19, the horticulture company in charge of the area was facing manpower shortage, leading them to not keeping up with the maintenance schedule.

Then, six months later, this happened.

Large Tree Fell in Toa Payoh, Crushing Several Vehicles

At the same carpark on Sunday, 13 Dec, a large tree fell and crushed his motorcycle.

This time, the incident isn’t isolated to his vehicle.

According to Dr Chee who stays in the area, at least four cars and motorcycles were damaged by the falling tree.

One of them, he added, was completely covered by leaves and branches.

The incident happened at about 7am, according to Mr Norman.

A firefighter by trade, he wrote to the town council to express how the mishap had affected him in his daily life:

“This mishap has affected me badly as I am using my vehicles for work to support my family financially.”

No One Was Hurt

Thankfully, the incident happened in the morning.

According to another resident in the area, many people gather in the area to “chit chat” in the evenings.

Dr Chee also alleged that similar incidents have happened in the Bishan-Toa Payoh area, and asks NParks and the town council to put in more “effort” to “safeguard” the public’s safety.

You can read his full post below:

According to ST, the town council’s chairman and vice-chairman did not respond to queries on the incident.

Other Tree Incidents

Earlier this year in November, heavy rains caused flash floods and fallen trees in Singapore.

A tree fell in MacPherson Road towards Paya Lebar, resulting in congestion and another one fell onto a car at Zion Road outside Great World City.

Then, NParks had said that most trees in public areas are inspected once every six to 24 months.

Another tree falling in carpark incident also happened in Oct 2020 after a heavy downpour at a Sims Drive carpark.

Thankfully, no one was injured in that incident as well.

A ComfortDelgro taxi, as well as a red Mitsubishi and blue Hyundai, were damaged in that incident.

Featured Image: Facebook (Dr Chee Soon Juan)