SINGAPORE - A worker who miraculously survived after falling 22-storeys is now too traumatised to talk about the incident.
According to The New Paper, China national Shao Yong Yin, 39, fell from a gondola at a Ridgewood Close construction site two months ago.
The carpenter had been trying to remove pipes from the facade of the 24-storey building when he fell. It is not known how it happened.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) declined to name the building, but checks by the reporter showed that the only building of that height under construction in the area is The Trizon condominium.
Shao was working in Singapore for just eight months when the incident occurred.
Speaking to The New Paper, Shao - who was warded at the National University Hospital (NUH) - said he did not want to talk about the incident.
"I think I might not be able to bear it if I do," he added. He did not seem to recall much of the horrific accident.
According to the report, his fall was broken by some corrugated roof sheets about 2m off the ground, which probably saved his life.
He injured his right leg and hip from the accident.
An NUH spokesperson said that Shao is "in a stable condition", and he was transferred to West Point Hospital last Thursday to continue his rehabilitation.
Reticent about accident
His wife, Madam Liang, told the Shin Min Daily news that her husband is a talkative person, but is reticent when it comes to the accident.
Said Madam Liang: "When he was at NUH, his friends all came to visit him, and he has been receiving rehabilitation. He can now get off the bed by himself and walk a little."
Madam Liang added that they need not worry about money as the company will be paying for the hospitalisation and medical fees.
The dressmaker, in her late 30s, flew to Singapore shortly after the accident to be with her husband, leaving their 12-year-old son with relatives in Jiangsu, China.
She is now his main caregiver, bringing him food and massaging his injured limbs.
Investigations ongoing
When interviewed, his manager, who wanted to be known only as Mr Guo, estimated that Shao had fallen about 70m. Mr Guo believes he was wearing a safety harness at the time.
The company - which has not been named - is currently assisting MOM with Shao's compensation claim for his work injury.
MOM's Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate is also investigating the cause of the fall.
The other most recent high-impact fall occurred earlier this year in January, when a 23-year-old Indonesian maid fell nine storeys from her employer's Bukit Panjang flat. She sustained severe body and leg injuries.
In 2009, a three-year-old South Korean boy fell nine-storeys from his family's condominium apartment in Mel Hwan Drive. He suffered a fractured ankle, cuts and abrasions.
Another three-year-old fell from his family's 10th-floor Bukit Panjang flat in 1994. His fall was broken by bamboo poles and a small tree. The boy suffered several broken bones.
Source: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110808-293474.html
