Injured Red Lion recovering after NDP, doesn't need surgery
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The Red Lion parachutist who had a hard landing at the Marina Bay floating platform on National Day is stable and recovering in hospital, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said yesterday.
Third Warrant Officer (3WO) Jeffrey Heng suffered some injuries when he landed during the National Day Parade, but does not require surgery, Dr Ng said in a Facebook post accompanied by a photo of a smiling 3WO Heng resting on a hospital bed. "He will need time and some rehab, but full recovery is expected," he added.
Dr Ng said the Chief of Defence Force and the Chief of Army had both visited the injured Red Lion.
3WO Heng, who was the last of 10 parachutists to land, was stretchered off after his rough landing on Tuesday that saw him tumble to the ground.
The Singapore Army said in a separate post that parachuting at The Float can sometimes be tricky due to strong crosswinds, gusty currents and disruptive airflow.
"Thankfully, 3WO Jeffrey applied his training and adopted the Parachute Landing Fall upon the hard landing, and thus avoided major injuries," it said.
3WO Heng had attempted to land at a safe distance away from his teammates, while fighting against strong crosswinds, said retired commando Chan Seck Sung, who was in the audience on Tuesday and witnessed 3WO Heng's hard landing.
The 78-year-old Red Lion pioneer, who has clocked more than 1,300 jumps, told The Straits Times: "I was very shocked and I didn't think it would happen to an experienced parachutist.
"But because of the wind conditions which were pulling him towards where his teammates stood, he tried to make a 180 degree turn to avoid crashing into them."
Mr Chan, who has 22 years of skydiving experience from 1966 to 1988, said 3WO Heng had tried to change his direction when he was about 20m in the air.
"Within this range, if there are crosswinds, you should not make any changes to the direction as it is too low. You should just land where the wind takes you," he said.
Mr Chan added: "As an ex-paratrooper, I will say that there is danger with every jump you take. We have to be calm enough to assess the situation, and make important decisions as we are falling to the ground at high speed."
