Inquiry finds deaths of two women in Bishan tragic, needless
AsiaOne
Thursday, Sep 15, 2011
SINGAPORE - Earlier this year, two bodies were found at the foot of a block in Bishan in the most bizarre of deaths - in which a falling woman fell on a pedestrian, crushing her. Both died instantly.
An inquiry was launched into the deaths of the two women at Bishan Street 13 on Jan 10, and the coroner overseeing the case said in court today that their deaths were needless.
State Coroner Imran Abdul Hamid pointed out that the death of Lau Fong Kien, 54, was especially tragic, reported The Straits Times.
Lau was a cancer survivor and was found to be well during her last hospital review after going through breast cancer surgery in 2007.
She had been on her way home that day when part-time administrative officer Ng Sock Luan, 48, jumped from an undisclosed floor of Block 179 and landed on her.
Both women died on the spot from multiple injuries.
They lived four floors apart in the same block, but were not acquainted with each other.
Lau's brother told the court that Lau had never expressed any intention to kill herself and did not have any psychiatric problems despite having battled cancer several years earlier. She even got involved as a union chairman and went on to encourage other cancer patients after she recovered from her illness.
Ng, a mother of two, had been battling depression and had difficulties sleeping in the last few months leading up to her suicide. Shin Min Daily also reported that she became depressed and had problems getting to sleep after consuming slimming pills for seven weeks.
She had told her husband that she felt that her life was meaningless and that she wanted to end it.
The court heard that as a result, her family members had made sure she was never left alone after she was discharged from Tan Tock Seng hospital last December.
On the day of her fall, she had been left alone for a few hours as her husband had a last minute meeting to attend to and her children were at school.
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AsiaOne
Thursday, Sep 15, 2011
SINGAPORE - Earlier this year, two bodies were found at the foot of a block in Bishan in the most bizarre of deaths - in which a falling woman fell on a pedestrian, crushing her. Both died instantly.
An inquiry was launched into the deaths of the two women at Bishan Street 13 on Jan 10, and the coroner overseeing the case said in court today that their deaths were needless.
State Coroner Imran Abdul Hamid pointed out that the death of Lau Fong Kien, 54, was especially tragic, reported The Straits Times.
Lau was a cancer survivor and was found to be well during her last hospital review after going through breast cancer surgery in 2007.
She had been on her way home that day when part-time administrative officer Ng Sock Luan, 48, jumped from an undisclosed floor of Block 179 and landed on her.
Both women died on the spot from multiple injuries.
They lived four floors apart in the same block, but were not acquainted with each other.
Lau's brother told the court that Lau had never expressed any intention to kill herself and did not have any psychiatric problems despite having battled cancer several years earlier. She even got involved as a union chairman and went on to encourage other cancer patients after she recovered from her illness.
Ng, a mother of two, had been battling depression and had difficulties sleeping in the last few months leading up to her suicide. Shin Min Daily also reported that she became depressed and had problems getting to sleep after consuming slimming pills for seven weeks.
She had told her husband that she felt that her life was meaningless and that she wanted to end it.
The court heard that as a result, her family members had made sure she was never left alone after she was discharged from Tan Tock Seng hospital last December.
On the day of her fall, she had been left alone for a few hours as her husband had a last minute meeting to attend to and her children were at school.
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