6-year-old boy breaks arm after tripping over hole at Sengkang playground

While at the playground, a six-year-old met with a nasty accident after he tripped over a hole on the ground, resulting in a broken arm.

The boy had followed his family's helper to the playground near Block 123B Rivervale Drive last Wednesday (March 22) while she brought the family's pet dog out for an evening walk, reported Shin Min Daily News. 

His mother, surnamed Yang, told the Chinese daily that their helper had not noticed the boy fall until she heard him crying.  

The 34-year-old bank teller said: "We thought it was a dislocation [in his left arm], and we went to the hospital to do an X-ray.

"The doctor said it was quite a serious injury, so we had to bring him to KK Women's and Children's Hospital for treatment." 

Yang showed Shin Min the photos of her son's X-ray, which revealed that he had broken a bone and some other bones in his left arm had also dislocated.

He underwent surgery and had three steel fixtures inserted into his arm to aid the bones' recovery. 

"The doctor said that my son's arm will be permanently crooked after this incident, but we're not sure how it'll affect his daily life," said Yang.

She also shared that she has forked out $9,900 in medical fees for her son's surgery and hospitalisation — a sum which she intends to claim from the town council. 

They are currently waiting for their insurance company's confirmation regarding the claims. 

Subsequently, Yang will also have to bring her son back to the hospital for follow-up appointments and for the removal of the fixtures in his arm. 

Medical fees aside, Yang told Shin Min that she was also concerned about the possibility of other children getting injured like her son. 

When she brought her son back home from the hospital on March 23, she noticed that the area in the playground had not been cordoned off and that the hole had not been filled. 

Responding to Shin Min's queries, the Sengkang Town Council said that they are in touch with Yang and have since fixed the hole in the ground. 

A reporter from Shin Min who visited the playground last Saturday found that the hole has since been covered up. 

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claudiatan@asiaone.com