<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Bus moves off with girl's leg trapped in door
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Gracia Chiang
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Radelle suffered two fractures on her left leg and needs at least six weeks to recover. The four-year-old's grandmother suffered abrasions on her knees while trying to keep the kid's body from being dragged along the road. -- PHOTO: SHIN MIN
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->A four-year-old girl fractured her leg after an SMRT bus driver accidentally shut the door on her and drove off.
Radelle Oh and her grandmother were on their way home on service 859 from her preschool in Sembawang on Wednesday when the incident occurred.
The grandmother was the first to alight from the bus along Admiralty Link but the door closed before the child could get off completely.
Her left leg was trapped in the door, while the rest of her body dangled outside.
As the driver was unaware of the situation, the bus moved on, until her grandmother banged on the door to get his attention. The 56-year-old suffered abrasions on her knees as she held on to the child to prevent her body from being dragged along the road.
The bus stopped after a metre or so, but the grandmother claimed that the driver did not offer to help.
She alleged that he told her he still had passengers on the bus and had 'no time' to wait while she called for help.
Radelle's mother, Madam Tan Loo Peng, 34, was upset that the driver had treated the matter lightly and merely suggested that her mother call a taxi.
When Madam Tan arrived at the scene, she called a taxi and rushed her crying daughter to the emergency department of KK Women's and Children's Hospital.
The doctor said Radelle had suffered two bone fractures and would need at least six weeks to recover, said Madam Tan.
The teacher's letter about the incident was published in the Forum section yesterday.
She and her husband have since filed a report with SMRT but they were told that the bus driver claimed his offer to call an ambulance was turned down.
'It seems the driver is now telling a different story. My mum told me that he did not even mention the word 'ambulance',' Madam Tan said.
She added that her daughter is now bedridden and has to wear diapers because she cannot be carried to the toilet.
'She cries in the night and her cast makes her leg itch so she uses her other leg to hit it because she can't even sit up to reach her leg with her hands.'
SMRT told The Sunday Times that it is investigating the incident and that it will respond to Madam Tan later this week.
The driver has been suspended.
Said Madam Tan: 'We are not looking for compensation as we can always pay the medical fees ourselves.
'We are angry over the fact that the driver was very irresponsible and we want to know what action SMRT will take. If not, how many more such incidents will happen?'
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Action sought
'We are not looking for compensation as we can always pay the medical fees ourselves. We are angry over the fact that the driver was very irresponsible.'
MADAM TAN LOO PENG, Radelle's mother
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Gracia Chiang
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Radelle suffered two fractures on her left leg and needs at least six weeks to recover. The four-year-old's grandmother suffered abrasions on her knees while trying to keep the kid's body from being dragged along the road. -- PHOTO: SHIN MIN
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->A four-year-old girl fractured her leg after an SMRT bus driver accidentally shut the door on her and drove off.
Radelle Oh and her grandmother were on their way home on service 859 from her preschool in Sembawang on Wednesday when the incident occurred.
The grandmother was the first to alight from the bus along Admiralty Link but the door closed before the child could get off completely.
Her left leg was trapped in the door, while the rest of her body dangled outside.
As the driver was unaware of the situation, the bus moved on, until her grandmother banged on the door to get his attention. The 56-year-old suffered abrasions on her knees as she held on to the child to prevent her body from being dragged along the road.
The bus stopped after a metre or so, but the grandmother claimed that the driver did not offer to help.
She alleged that he told her he still had passengers on the bus and had 'no time' to wait while she called for help.
Radelle's mother, Madam Tan Loo Peng, 34, was upset that the driver had treated the matter lightly and merely suggested that her mother call a taxi.
When Madam Tan arrived at the scene, she called a taxi and rushed her crying daughter to the emergency department of KK Women's and Children's Hospital.
The doctor said Radelle had suffered two bone fractures and would need at least six weeks to recover, said Madam Tan.
The teacher's letter about the incident was published in the Forum section yesterday.
She and her husband have since filed a report with SMRT but they were told that the bus driver claimed his offer to call an ambulance was turned down.
'It seems the driver is now telling a different story. My mum told me that he did not even mention the word 'ambulance',' Madam Tan said.
She added that her daughter is now bedridden and has to wear diapers because she cannot be carried to the toilet.
'She cries in the night and her cast makes her leg itch so she uses her other leg to hit it because she can't even sit up to reach her leg with her hands.'
SMRT told The Sunday Times that it is investigating the incident and that it will respond to Madam Tan later this week.
The driver has been suspended.
Said Madam Tan: 'We are not looking for compensation as we can always pay the medical fees ourselves.
'We are angry over the fact that the driver was very irresponsible and we want to know what action SMRT will take. If not, how many more such incidents will happen?'
<HR width="50%" SIZE=1>
Action sought
'We are not looking for compensation as we can always pay the medical fees ourselves. We are angry over the fact that the driver was very irresponsible.'
MADAM TAN LOO PENG, Radelle's mother
