A week has passed, but residents are still mourning the gruesome death of a 13-year-old River Valley High School student, who was allegedly murdered by a Sec 4 student.
As Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said, it’s one of the worst things a parent can go through.
Losing a child is hard enough when they pass prematurely in their 30s, 40s, or 50s, but to lose them while they’re still going through adolescence is particularly hard to take.
Sadly, another young teen lost his life in a tragic accident recently.
17YO Died After Basketball Structure Fell on Him in Bedok
Yesterday (26 July), at around 8.45pm, the police were alerted to an accident involving a basketball structure which had fallen on a teenager.
The freak accident took place near Block 18 Bedok South Road.
When police officers and personnel from the Singapore Civil Defence (SCDF) arrived at the scene, they found an unconscious 17-year-old boy.
He was rushed to the Changi General Hospital (CGH), and was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the way there.
Sadly, the teenager succumbed to his injuries in CGH.
Basketball Court Has Since Closed
The East Coast Town Council issued a statement over the incident the next day, saying it was “saddened” by news of the tragic death.
“Based on the initial information received, a basketball hoop structure had collapsed and fell onto one of the users of the court,” it said.
It’s not yet clear why the structure collapsed.
For the safety of residents, the basketball court has been closed with immediate effect while the town council conducts checks on other structures there.
“Our heart goes out to the victim and his family. We will work closely with the relevant agencies to provide support and assistance to them,” the town council said.
It also appealed for witnesses of the incident to come forward and contact the Bedok Police Division at 1800-244-0000.
Police investigations are ongoing.
Similar Incident Occurred in the US in 2018; Family Launched Lawsuit
A similar incident occurred in Indiana, USA, in 2018, where a huge metal and glass basketball hoop fell on a 14-year-old boy.
The poor boy was pinned under the structure, which weighed nearly 120 kg.
The boy’s dad managed to remove the fallen structure, but the damage was already done.
The boy told his mum “I can’t breathe” and eventually passed after a few more breaths.
The family launched a civil lawsuit against the manufacturer of the structure, seeking compensatory damages for their son’s premature death.
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Featured Image: YouTube (The Straits Times)