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Man falls forward unconscious after heart attack at MRT station...
Head hits train again and again
By Chong Shin Yen
July 02, 2009
UNFORTUNATE: Police arrive at Bukit Batok MRT station where Mr Chua Leong Hua, 59, died in a morning accident on 6 Feb. PICTURE: LIANHE WANBAO
HE FELL forward and his head hit the train as it was pulling into the station.
And as the train braked and slowed, Mr Chua Leong Hua's head continued bumping against the moving train - until a fellow commuter on the platform saw what happened and pulled him away.
By the time help arrived, Mr Chua, 59, was dead.
A post-mortem showed that he had suffered a heart attack. And the impact of his head hitting the train repeatedly caused him to suffer massive head injuries.
Last month, State Coroner Victor Yeo recorded a verdict of misadventure into Mr Chua's death, saying that it was 'a most unfortunate accident'.
This is believed to be the first incident of its kind.
The court heard that Mr Chua, a general worker at a Tuas factory, left his Bukit Batok flat on 6 Feb at about 5.15am.
It was the usual time he left his home to catch the first train to work.
During the inquiry, the court was shown the security camera footage of the incident, which happened at the Bukit Batok MRT Station.
The footage showed Mr Chua standing near the end of the platform as he waited for the train at about 5.45am that day.
He and other commuters were standing behind the yellow line.
Just as the north-bound train was pulling into the above-ground station, Mr Chua suddenly fell forward and his head hit against the first cabin of the incoming train.
His upper body was bent at about 45 degrees, with his head leaning against the moving train.
This resulted in his head being hit repeatedly until a commuter pulled him away.
The train then came to an abrupt stop when someone pressed the emergency stop button.The court heard that by then, the train was about 5m to 6m away from its normal stopping position.
The driver alighted and saw Mr Chua lying in a pool of blood on the platform next to the last cabin.
His haversack, which contained his work attire, was beside him.
The driver, Mr Qaser Muhetheen, said that he did not see any passengers with his head sticking out of the platform when he was pulling into the station.
The train was travelling at about 40km/h at that time.
Wife can't deal with footage
The security footage did not show anyone pushing Mr Chua. Neither did he run towards the incoming train.
Mr Yeo concluded that due to Mr Chua's underlying heart disease, the latter had very likely suffered a heart attack and fainted forward as the train was pulling in.
This resulted in his head hitting the side of the moving train, causing him to sustain fatal injuries.
Mr Chua's wife, Madam Neo Kuan, 57, was present at the inquiry.
She had been married to Mr Chua for 28years and they have two sons, aged 27 and 22.
Madam Neo asked to leave the court temporarily when the security footage was played.
She told The New Paper that it was 'too cruel' to watch how her husband died.
Said Madam Neo in Mandarin: 'I couldn't bear to watch it, so I left and returned later for the verdict. His head was badly hurt in the incident.'
She added that her husband was a hardworking man who seldom took leave from work.
'Although he wasn't earning much, he always did his best to provide for the family,' she said.
Mr Chua did not have a high education but he took up English night classes so that he could improve himself.
Madam Neo said that her husband had suffered from high blood pressure and high cholesterol for almost two years.
She said: 'He had been taking medication for high blood pressure. But he never complained about the medication causing him drowsiness or dizziness.'
She did not know if her husband suffered from any heart diseases, but said that he had been a smoker for 20 years.
Recalling how she never got to say goodbye to her husband, Madam Neo said that she was still sleeping when Mr Chua left for work that day.
'He would eat breakfast at a coffee shop near his workplace before starting work,' said Madam Neo.
'If he was not feeling well that day, he would have told me and he would not have gone to work. But he did not say anything.'
The Land Transport Authority had announced in September 2008 that platform screen doors will be built for all above-ground stations by 2012.
The 1.5m-tall doors could prevent similar accidents from happening.
Underground stations already have screen doors that prevent commuters from coming into contact with the trains as they are pulling in.
Man falls forward unconscious after heart attack at MRT station...
Head hits train again and again
By Chong Shin Yen
July 02, 2009
UNFORTUNATE: Police arrive at Bukit Batok MRT station where Mr Chua Leong Hua, 59, died in a morning accident on 6 Feb. PICTURE: LIANHE WANBAO
HE FELL forward and his head hit the train as it was pulling into the station.
And as the train braked and slowed, Mr Chua Leong Hua's head continued bumping against the moving train - until a fellow commuter on the platform saw what happened and pulled him away.
By the time help arrived, Mr Chua, 59, was dead.
A post-mortem showed that he had suffered a heart attack. And the impact of his head hitting the train repeatedly caused him to suffer massive head injuries.
Last month, State Coroner Victor Yeo recorded a verdict of misadventure into Mr Chua's death, saying that it was 'a most unfortunate accident'.
This is believed to be the first incident of its kind.
The court heard that Mr Chua, a general worker at a Tuas factory, left his Bukit Batok flat on 6 Feb at about 5.15am.
It was the usual time he left his home to catch the first train to work.
During the inquiry, the court was shown the security camera footage of the incident, which happened at the Bukit Batok MRT Station.
The footage showed Mr Chua standing near the end of the platform as he waited for the train at about 5.45am that day.
He and other commuters were standing behind the yellow line.
Just as the north-bound train was pulling into the above-ground station, Mr Chua suddenly fell forward and his head hit against the first cabin of the incoming train.
His upper body was bent at about 45 degrees, with his head leaning against the moving train.
This resulted in his head being hit repeatedly until a commuter pulled him away.
The train then came to an abrupt stop when someone pressed the emergency stop button.The court heard that by then, the train was about 5m to 6m away from its normal stopping position.
The driver alighted and saw Mr Chua lying in a pool of blood on the platform next to the last cabin.
His haversack, which contained his work attire, was beside him.
The driver, Mr Qaser Muhetheen, said that he did not see any passengers with his head sticking out of the platform when he was pulling into the station.
The train was travelling at about 40km/h at that time.
Wife can't deal with footage
The security footage did not show anyone pushing Mr Chua. Neither did he run towards the incoming train.
Mr Yeo concluded that due to Mr Chua's underlying heart disease, the latter had very likely suffered a heart attack and fainted forward as the train was pulling in.
This resulted in his head hitting the side of the moving train, causing him to sustain fatal injuries.
Mr Chua's wife, Madam Neo Kuan, 57, was present at the inquiry.
She had been married to Mr Chua for 28years and they have two sons, aged 27 and 22.
Madam Neo asked to leave the court temporarily when the security footage was played.
She told The New Paper that it was 'too cruel' to watch how her husband died.
Said Madam Neo in Mandarin: 'I couldn't bear to watch it, so I left and returned later for the verdict. His head was badly hurt in the incident.'
She added that her husband was a hardworking man who seldom took leave from work.
'Although he wasn't earning much, he always did his best to provide for the family,' she said.
Mr Chua did not have a high education but he took up English night classes so that he could improve himself.
Madam Neo said that her husband had suffered from high blood pressure and high cholesterol for almost two years.
She said: 'He had been taking medication for high blood pressure. But he never complained about the medication causing him drowsiness or dizziness.'
She did not know if her husband suffered from any heart diseases, but said that he had been a smoker for 20 years.
Recalling how she never got to say goodbye to her husband, Madam Neo said that she was still sleeping when Mr Chua left for work that day.
'He would eat breakfast at a coffee shop near his workplace before starting work,' said Madam Neo.
'If he was not feeling well that day, he would have told me and he would not have gone to work. But he did not say anything.'
The Land Transport Authority had announced in September 2008 that platform screen doors will be built for all above-ground stations by 2012.
The 1.5m-tall doors could prevent similar accidents from happening.
Underground stations already have screen doors that prevent commuters from coming into contact with the trains as they are pulling in.
