Boy breaks arm after tripping over hole at Sengkang playground

A boy broke his arm after tripping over a hole with exposed screws at a playground in Sengkang.

Ms Yang, a single mother who lives at Block 123B Rivervale Drive, said the incident occurred last Wednesday (Mar 22), at around 7pm.

The 34-year-old bank teller told Shin Min Daily News that her maid had gone downstairs to walk the dog and taken her son, who is six and a half years old, along to the playground.

The maid was looking after the dog and did not pay attention to the child, until she heard a cry and realised that he had fallen down. She then slowly helped the boy back upstairs.

Ms Wang said that her son was crying and appeared to have dislocated his left arm. She immediately called a taxi to take him to the hospital.

"We thought it was a dislocation and went to the hospital for X-rays," she added. "The doctor said it was serious and referred us to KK Women's and Children's Hospital for treatment."

When asked how he had fallen and injured himself, Ms Yang's son said he had tripped over a hole at the playground.

It turned out that a rocking chair, in the design of a zebra, had been removed from the playground, leaving behind an unfilled hole with exposed screws.

An operation to fix three steel nails in the child's arm and allow his bones to reset was performed the following day (Mar 23). The nails can only be removed after two months.

Ms Yang shared, "However, the doctor said that my son's bones will grow permanently crooked in the future. It is still uncertain how this will impact his life."

In response to media queries, Sengkang Town Council said it regrets the incident and will keep in close contact with Ms Yang. Upon being notified of the incident, the affected area of the playground was cordoned off. The hole was later filled in.

Ms Yang said she contacted the town council after bringing her son home from the hospital on March 23. She subsequently went to check the playground, but found that it was not cordoned off until March 24.

Expressing concerns that other children might suffer a similar fate, Ms Yang pointed out that the hole that caused her son's fall was only mended three days later.

Besides worrying about her son's well-being, Ms Yang is also anxious about medical expenses.