Man hurt by falling tree branch at carpark

A man was hurt when a tree branch fell through his windscreen at a carpark last Saturday morning.

The victim, a man in his 50s, was looking for a parking space near Block 119 Aljunied Avenue 2 in Geylang when the incident occurred.

His friend, who wanted to be known only as Mr Chen, 50, told Chinese-language daily Lianhe Wanbao that the driver heard a loud "bang" as a long branch shattered the windscreen and fell directly into his seat.

Mr Chen told Wanbao that his friend, who was unable to avoid the branch, suffered gashes on his right shin.

He sought medical treatment at a nearby clinic and took his car to a repair workshop shortly after.

Marine Parade Town Council chairman Lim Biow Chuan told The Straits Times that the tree was assessed to be healthy.

It was pruned and checked according to schedule but the falling branch could have been decayed, he added.

Mr Lim said the town council is conducting further checks on the branch, adding that it is too early to state the cause of the incident.

Shop owners in the area told Wanbao that the trees around the carpark were all old, and withered branches often fell on cars.

One resident said the trees were trimmed regularly, and while falling branches were unavoidable, it was the first time he had seen one smash through a windscreen.

In January last year, a 2m-long tree branch pierced the windscreen of a car at a carpark in Bukit Ho Swee. The vehicle was unoccupied at the time.

About 400 cases of fallen tree incidents were reported in 2017 and last year, down from 800 recorded in 2016.