<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Man falls into drain after railing gives way
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Zureena Habib
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Mr Lau Keng Kow fell into a drain last Wednesday after the railing gave way. It has been put back in place and tied with rope to others beside it. -- ST PHOTO: SHAHRIYA YAHAYA
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->MR Lau Keng Kow's routine 5am morning walk ended in pain last week - he fell into a 2m-deep drain.
The 80-year-old was taking a breather by leaning on a metal railing in Jalan Rajah, off Balestier Road, when it gave way.
He fell, along with the railing, into the drain.
He spent 20 minutes crying out for help before a passer-by came to his rescue.
He was later taken by his wife, Madam Low Geok Eng, 69, to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where X-rays showed he escaped without fractures.
'I'm very lucky that I did not land on my head; I could have died,' said Mr Lau, who recalled that he was very scared when he was stuck in the drain last Wednesday.
He has not been able to eat or sleep much since the incident because of bruises on his thigh, back and stomach.
He has consulted a sinseh about a pain in his left elbow and was told that there may be a hairline fracture.
Mr Lau, who lives with his wife in the Jalan Rajah area, will return to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for consultation in two weeks.
Meanwhile, the railing has been put back in place with a piece of rope securing it to the others.
Mr Lau's son Phillip, 49, a trader, has informed the Tanjong Pagar Town Council about the potential danger that this poses.
'If my father can lean on it and fall down, then anyone else can too,' he said.
He was told to send an e-mail with a picture of the railing to the town council and the Public Utilities Board.
The latter told The Sunday Times that it has sent its staff to assess the situation. Mr Lau said he will resume his morning walks once his aches and pains subside.
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Zureena Habib
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Mr Lau Keng Kow fell into a drain last Wednesday after the railing gave way. It has been put back in place and tied with rope to others beside it. -- ST PHOTO: SHAHRIYA YAHAYA
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->MR Lau Keng Kow's routine 5am morning walk ended in pain last week - he fell into a 2m-deep drain.
The 80-year-old was taking a breather by leaning on a metal railing in Jalan Rajah, off Balestier Road, when it gave way.
He fell, along with the railing, into the drain.
He spent 20 minutes crying out for help before a passer-by came to his rescue.
He was later taken by his wife, Madam Low Geok Eng, 69, to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where X-rays showed he escaped without fractures.
'I'm very lucky that I did not land on my head; I could have died,' said Mr Lau, who recalled that he was very scared when he was stuck in the drain last Wednesday.
He has not been able to eat or sleep much since the incident because of bruises on his thigh, back and stomach.
He has consulted a sinseh about a pain in his left elbow and was told that there may be a hairline fracture.
Mr Lau, who lives with his wife in the Jalan Rajah area, will return to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for consultation in two weeks.
Meanwhile, the railing has been put back in place with a piece of rope securing it to the others.
Mr Lau's son Phillip, 49, a trader, has informed the Tanjong Pagar Town Council about the potential danger that this poses.
'If my father can lean on it and fall down, then anyone else can too,' he said.
He was told to send an e-mail with a picture of the railing to the town council and the Public Utilities Board.
The latter told The Sunday Times that it has sent its staff to assess the situation. Mr Lau said he will resume his morning walks once his aches and pains subside.
