Large Tree Collapsed in Jurong West, Knocking a Traffic Light & Injuring One Person

It has been raining so much that this news is no longer surprising.

On the evening of 15 October, a pedestrian was injured when a large rain tree collapsed near the junction opposite Block 455 Jurong West Street 42 in Singapore.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) received a call for assistance at around 5:25 p.m. and promptly transported the injured individual to Ng Teng Fong Hospital for treatment.

Large Tree Collapsed in Jurong West, Knocking a Traffic Light & Injuring One Person

According to the National Parks Board (NParks), the pedestrian was pushed out of the way by a bystander before the tree fell, potentially saving her life.

However, the pedestrian still sustained injuries from falling during the incident. The SCDF attended to the injured pedestrian at the scene before taking her to the hospital.

The fallen rain tree, which had a girth of approximately 3 metres, split and collapsed, knocking over a nearby traffic light in the process.

Debris from the tree scattered across the junction, blocking three lanes of Jurong West Street 42.

Footage of the aftermath, captured by an onlooker and shared on social media, showed the fallen tree lying across the road with the damaged traffic light nearby.

Around 20 onlookers gathered on the side of the road as emergency responders worked to manage the situation. At least two police vehicles and an ambulance were seen at the scene.

NParks cleared the fallen tree by around 8:10 p.m. the same day and conducted inspections on other trees in the vicinity to ensure public safety.

The incident occurred following one of Singapore’s heaviest downpours in over 40 years, which took place on the morning of 14 October.

The national water agency PUB reported that 134.8 mm of rainfall was recorded in western Singapore between 8:15 a.m. and 1:50 p.m.

To put this into perspective, the Meteorological Service Singapore noted that the average rainfall for the entire month of October is 168.3 mm, based on data from 1991 to 2020.

The heavy rain caused flooding across several parts of Singapore, including Tampines and Bukit Timah, with social media videos showing vehicles navigating through flooded roads.