Man, 68, flung from seat after Tower Transit bus brakes suddenly, family upset over delayed updates
A 68-year-old man was injured after he was allegedly flung from his seat when a Tower Transit bus braked suddenly in Woodlands.
His son, Stomper Jeremy, told Stomp that his father was travelling on bus service 858 on Sept 1 when the incident occurred at about 12.18pm.
The bus was travelling along Woodlands Avenue 7 towards Woodlands Interchange and had just passed the Seagate bus stop when it happened.
Jeremy said his father was seated near the front of the bus, facing forwards at the time.
“My dad only remembers the bus jam-braking and being flung off the seat,” he said.
“The next thing he remembers is someone waking him up, asking if he was okay and helping him clean his blood and wound.”
The Stomper said his father momentarily lost consciousness.
He added that two passengers and the bus captain attended to his father, who suffered a bleeding head injury and significant swelling around his eye.
Photos shared with Stomp show his father lying on a hospital bed wearing a neck brace, with bruising and swelling visible around his right eye.
According to Jeremy, his father was unable to walk after the incident and had to be taken off the bus on a stretcher before being conveyed to hospital.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told Stomp that it received a call for assistance along Woodlands Avenue 7 at about 12.25pm.
One person was taken to Woodlands Hospital, an SCDF spokesperson said.
Family frustrated over lack of updates
The Stomper said the family only learnt about the incident when his father contacted them from the hospital at about 1.23pm.
He said they subsequently contacted Tower Transit at about 2pm and again at about 3.02pm, but did not receive a meaningful update.
“Despite the seriousness of what happened and the injuries sustained by my dad, we had not received a single phone call from Tower Transit to check on his condition or even to ask whether he is recovering well,” he told Stomp.
Jeremy said he eventually reached out to members of Tower Transit’s management through his personal contacts before a customer service manager called him at about 10.30pm that night.
He said the family was told the bus captain was under investigation, but did not receive further information the following morning.
“We are seriously disappointed and deeply saddened by Tower Transit’s apparent lack of remorse, empathy and concern following this incident,” he said.
“This lack of communication is extremely upsetting.
“We find it particularly distressing that we have had to repeatedly reach out ourselves, while Tower Transit has made no apparent effort to contact the family to find out how the passenger is doing.”
Jeremy told Stomp that his father has since been discharged from Woodlands Hospital and given four days of hospitalisation leave.
However, the family intends to seek a second opinion at Mount Alvernia Hospital as they were told that there could be a fracture to his face.
Jeremy said they are still awaiting an update from the doctor at Woodlands Hospital regarding the suspected fracture.
Tower Transit explains what happened
In response to a Stomp query, a Tower Transit spokesperson confirmed the company is aware of the incident.
According to the spokesperson, preliminary investigations found that the bus captain had applied emergency braking after a motorcyclist in front of the bus stopped suddenly.
“Regrettably, Mr Goh, a passenger on board the bus, fell forward onto the rear-facing seats and was injured,” said the spokesperson.
“The bus captain and other passengers attended to him while our Bus Operations Control Centre activated an ambulance.”
Tower Transit also addressed the family’s concerns over the delay in receiving an update.
The spokesperson said its customer experience team called the passenger at about 2pm that day but was unable to get through.
“His son later called us and was expecting an update, which only came at about 10.30pm,” the spokesperson said.
“We have apologised to Mr Goh’s family for this delay during a distressing time, and we are working to ensure customer callbacks are handled promptly going forward.”
Tower Transit said it was in touch with Jeremy’s father and his family to check on his well-being and offer support.
“We wish Mr Goh a full and speedy recovery and will continue to offer our full support, including assistance with necessary claims,” the spokesperson added.
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