Falling trees

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Fallen tree in Chestnut Nature Park crushes car​

No one was in the car when the trunk of an Albizia tree at Chestnut Nature Park snapped at about 5pm on April 13. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM SG ROAD VIGILANTE/FACBEOOK

Elaine Lee

APR 17, 2024

SINGAPORE - A large tree fell in Chestnut Avenue on April 13, crushing a white sedan that was parked beside it.
Dashcam footage of the incident showed car’s bonnet and roof crushed by the fallen tree’s trunk.
The video, posted on the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page, has got over 60,000 views so far.
No one was in the car when the incident happened.
A National Parks Board (NParks) spokesman said the trunk of an Albizia tree in Chestnut Nature Park snapped at about 5pm that day.
He added that there were no reported injuries, and the obstruction was cleared by 7.30pm that day.
This is not the first time Albizia trees have fallen.

In 2016, an Albizia tree growing on state land toppled onto a Bukit Timah bungalow that belonged to 94-year-old Pamela Hickley, the former private secretary to Singapore’s last British governor.
The tree, which fell even though there was no strong wind, flattened a portion of a fence and the garden.
The authorities later removed the tree and replaced it with other more weather-resilient species that were less likely to break. Albizia trees are also susceptible to pests and root rot.


Insurance companies told The Straits Times incidents like this are typically covered under motor insurance plans.
They advised motorists to report such incidents to the authorities and make prompt reports to their insurers for claims assessment.

Income Insurance’s deputy vice-president and head of its motor business Cecilia Siah said that any in-car footage of the incident would also help to support the claim.
Etiqa Insurance Singapore chief executive Raymond Ong also added that motorists should take photographs of the damage.
“Meticulously documenting the scene, including capturing photographs and videos of the vehicle damage and surrounding areas, (will be) invaluable in accurately assessing the damage when initiating the insurance claim process,” he said.
Mr Ong added that the amount a vehicle owner can claim depends on various factors, including the extent of damage and the coverage limit stated in the insurance policy.
“The insurer will typically assess the damage upon submission of a claim and provide compensation accordingly, within maximum coverage limits,” he said.
Insurers also said that in the event the vehicle is totalled, they provide coverage up to the market value of the vehicle at the time of loss, even if repair costs are greater than the market value of the vehicle.