We talk a lot about Yishun being the “ghetto” of Singapore, but once in a while, a new neighbourhood enters the ring to fight for Yishun’s title.
The newest contender is Tampines. Here’s why.
69-Year-Old Injured After Trying to Escape Crows in Tampines
It begins with a 69-year-old resident at Block 463 Tampines Street 44, surnamed Lin.
Sometime in April this year, Lin was attacked by a crow while walking around the neighbourhood—a crow had swooped down and scratched his head.
The crow must have recently moved out from Yishun into Tampines…
This encounter left Lin traumatised; who wouldn’t be? That’s why a few days later, on 29 April, when Lin saw several crows flying towards him, he bolted in an attempt to avoid the crows.
It’s like seeing your ex in public—the first one will leave you traumatised, and the second one will have you running faster than you do in IPPT.
However, while Lin was running to avoid the crows, he lost his balance and fell after approximately 10 metres. He got up and continued walking for about 50 metres before falling again after feeling intense pain in his hip.
This one not chao keng one okay—it was so severe that other passers-by had to help Lin call an ambulance. Fortunately, he was sent to the hospital in time to seek medical attention for his fall.
Hospitalised for More Than 40 Days; Now Faced With $12,000 Hospital Bills
You might be thinking: Aiya, it’s just a fall right? How bad could it be?
The answer is “very”.
As it turns out, Lin fractured his hip bone from the fall. The 69-year-old was hospitalised for more than 40 days and had to undergo surgery to fix the fracture with screws.
That’s not all. Although he has since been discharged from the hospital, his injuries have yet to heal fully. Currently, Lin has to walk with a limp as he still experiences pain in his hip.
To make things worse, the pain isn’t just physical pain. Lin’s wallet has also been going through it due to this unfortunate encounter.
His hospital bills add up to $17K, $5K of which his employer has paid on his behalf. However, that still leaves $12K worth of hospital bills for Lin to shoulder.
At this rate, he might also need to get shoulder surgery soon. Touch wood, of course.
The injury also disrupted the 69-year-old’s retirement plans. While he initially intended to retire only next year, thanks to the severity of this injury, he now has to retire early.
Shag bro.
NParks’ Response to the Incident
The incident is so severe that it has even caught the eye of the National Parks Board (NParks).
NParks has already contacted Lin’s family and is currently working to capture the crows and remove the crow nests. The crows that attacked the 69-year-old are known to be aggressive and threaten the local ecosystem.
Goodbye and good riddance, I guess.
NParks will also collaborate with the town council to regularly remove crow nests.
This is far from the first time we’ve heard of crow attacks in Singapore.
Earlier in February, we saw a man getting attacked by a crow near Block 110 Bishan Street 12.
This wasn’t a standalone incident in Bishan—according to Shin Min Daily News, crows in the area were observed to have attacked up to ten residents within merely 20 minutes.
I guess Bishan is also a strong contender for Yishun’s title. Tampines better watch out for its competition.