Elderly woman suffers head injuries after fall from escalator known for breaking down; inspection turns up dead rat caught in rails

A 70-year-old woman was conveyed to Singapore General Hospital this week after suffering head injuries from a fall while riding a faulty escalator at People’s Park Complex. A dead rat was later found lodged in one of the rails of the escalator, which is known to jerk and has a history of breaking down.

The Chinese daily reported that the elderly woman had almost reached the top of the escalator that was moving upwards when a jerk is believed to have caused her to fall and injure the back of her head.

Paramedics attended to the senior citizen who was in pain but still alert and subsequently brought her to the hospital.

A store owner who has been working at the Complex for the past 25 years attested to reporters that the escalator, which was installed a decade ago at the centre, has broken down many times over the years, despite repair works.

Noting that this is not the first time someone has fallen while riding the faulty escalator, the proprietor revealed that his own mother had fallen on the escalator due to a sudden jerk.