[h=1]Man who smashed window says: It was just common sense[/h]
Published on Dec 19, 2011
0
By Lim Yan Liang
WHEN the cabin lights of the train he was on began flickering last Thursday, Mr C.W. Teh quipped to his wife that SMRT was 'importing the London Tube experience' here.
'In hindsight, perhaps that was a warning sign we should have taken note of,' he said.Trains in London tend to lose power momentarily when they cross a junction or a neutral section without electrical contact because of the way they are built.
But last Thursday's loss of light in his cabin was not an engineering design, and the 31-year-old assistant manager in a marine insurance firm was to find himself in a less than jocular moment half an hour later.
Mr Teh is the man who smashed a window in the cabin to let in more air nearly 40 minutes after his train stalled.
Photos of the smashed window went viral on Twitter and Facebook that very evening, circulating widely and ended up being published in the media.
Mr Teh said he took such a drastic step only after repeated pleas to the train driver to 'do something about the ventilation' had been rejected, and after there had been a complete power shutdown, which came 20 minutes after the train ground to a halt. The intercom stopped working, the train became pitch-black and there was 'zero ventilation'.
'Imagine being in a storeroom without ventilation and without windows for 30 minutes. That is what it felt like. It might have been worse because we were breathing other people's recycled air,' he said. 'I saw it as a life-and-death situation because we didn't know what was going to happen or when it was going to happen.'
Mr Teh said he decided to use a fire extinguisher in the train to smash the window after stumbling upon it while fidgeting in the cabin. He added that a fellow commuter even used a mobile phone to illuminate the area, which made it easier for him to set the extinguisher loose from its frame.
He gave the window about 10 strikes before it finally gave way. But once it did, there was instant relief. Mr Teh said he could immediately feel a draft of air entering the carriage.
Some might call him a hero, but he does not see himself as one, and prefers to remain anonymous.
'To be frank, I am surprised this incident has created such a sensation, because to me, at that point in time, it seemed a common sense thing to do,' he said.
'Grown men were doubled over, sitting on the floor, and some children were looking very uncomfortable. I could not ignore this just because I was afraid of getting into trouble.'
But would he do it again?
'I did it to give everyone some comfort,' said Mr Teh. 'I hope I am never in such a situation again, but if the situation calls for it, definitely.'
Published on Dec 19, 2011
0
hare
By Lim Yan Liang
WHEN the cabin lights of the train he was on began flickering last Thursday, Mr C.W. Teh quipped to his wife that SMRT was 'importing the London Tube experience' here.
'In hindsight, perhaps that was a warning sign we should have taken note of,' he said.Trains in London tend to lose power momentarily when they cross a junction or a neutral section without electrical contact because of the way they are built.
But last Thursday's loss of light in his cabin was not an engineering design, and the 31-year-old assistant manager in a marine insurance firm was to find himself in a less than jocular moment half an hour later.
Mr Teh is the man who smashed a window in the cabin to let in more air nearly 40 minutes after his train stalled.
Photos of the smashed window went viral on Twitter and Facebook that very evening, circulating widely and ended up being published in the media.
Mr Teh said he took such a drastic step only after repeated pleas to the train driver to 'do something about the ventilation' had been rejected, and after there had been a complete power shutdown, which came 20 minutes after the train ground to a halt. The intercom stopped working, the train became pitch-black and there was 'zero ventilation'.
'Imagine being in a storeroom without ventilation and without windows for 30 minutes. That is what it felt like. It might have been worse because we were breathing other people's recycled air,' he said. 'I saw it as a life-and-death situation because we didn't know what was going to happen or when it was going to happen.'
Mr Teh said he decided to use a fire extinguisher in the train to smash the window after stumbling upon it while fidgeting in the cabin. He added that a fellow commuter even used a mobile phone to illuminate the area, which made it easier for him to set the extinguisher loose from its frame.
He gave the window about 10 strikes before it finally gave way. But once it did, there was instant relief. Mr Teh said he could immediately feel a draft of air entering the carriage.
Some might call him a hero, but he does not see himself as one, and prefers to remain anonymous.
'To be frank, I am surprised this incident has created such a sensation, because to me, at that point in time, it seemed a common sense thing to do,' he said.
'Grown men were doubled over, sitting on the floor, and some children were looking very uncomfortable. I could not ignore this just because I was afraid of getting into trouble.'
But would he do it again?
'I did it to give everyone some comfort,' said Mr Teh. 'I hope I am never in such a situation again, but if the situation calls for it, definitely.'
