Driver killed when tree falls during heavy downpour

Sona Remesh Channel NewsAsia 20 Jul 10;

SINGAPORE: Strong winds and heavy rains Tuesday afternoon claimed the life of one driver.

A 32-year old man was killed when a tree fell and crushed the car he was in, at the junction of Thomson Hills Drive and Yio Chu Kang Road.

The tree was uprooted at the base, dragging along some parts of the drain by the roadside.

The tree was removed at around 4.45pm.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said the car was badly damaged.

Rescuers took about 20 minutes to remove the victim's body with hydraulic spreader-cutters. The driver had suffered injuries to his spine.

Paramedics pronounced the victim dead at the scene. No one else was in the car

An NParks spokesperson said there were strong winds at the time of the accident.

According to NParks, the wind at the time of the accident today was as high as 65km/h.

The National Parks Board also added it will be inspecting other trees in the area - a move welcomed by residents.

One resident, businessman S L Chua, said: "It's sad (that) this incident has killed someone, I hope they have more stringent inspections and they look at the whole canopy of the tree. Because the canopy is so heavy, if its slanting to one side, sooner or later the whole tree will come down, especially with the strong and heavy winds nowadays."

CEO of NParks, Mr Ng Lang said the 35-40 year old raintree was last pruned in January, as part of routine pruning to reduce the weight of the crown.

He added that the tree was likely uprooted due to a weather phenomenon known as a microburst.

This is a localised, powerful descending air draft column that produces damaging winds at high speed, and is known to knock down fully grown trees.

"NParks is deeply saddened by this unfortunate incident. Our priority now is to extend assistance to the family of the deceased," he said.

In a separate incident, another tree fell at nearby Tagore Lane.

Police had to cordon off the section of Upper Thomson Road, after its junction with Yio Chu Kang Road.

No injuries were recorded.

Tuesday's incidents come after National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said some 240 trees fell in June alone.

This is about 170 per cent higher compared to the same month last year, due largely to the adverse weather.

Mr Mah said this in a written reply to a query by MP Baey Yam Keng on Monday, July 19.

- CNA/jm

Motorist, 32, killed as tree falls on car
Esther Ng and Leong Wee Keat Today Online 21 Jul 10;

SINGAPORE - A baby seat, a baby stroller. A brown soft toy, a black Harrods shopping bag. One by one, they were removed from a mangled metal wreck along Yio Chu Kang Road yesterday.

"Severe weather conditions" were blamed after a mature rain tree - said to be 35 to 40 years old - was uprooted and fell on a car, crushing its roof and killing the driver, Chua Loong Wai, 32. He was driving towards Upper Thomson Road and had just passed the Thomson Hills Drive junction when the tree landed on his car at about 2pm.

The wind speed then was reported to be as high as 65 kmh, accompanied by heavy rain.

NParks chief executive Ng Lang said an intense microburst - a powerful descending column of air which produces damaging winds at high speed - had occurred in the area around that time.

Mr Ng added: "Microbursts may last for only a few seconds, but are known to knock down fully grown trees."

While they had seen branches falling, residents at nearby Teachers' Estate said this was the first time in 15 years they had seen a tree being uprooted.

Singapore Civil Defence Force officers took 20 minutes to extricate Mr Chua from the crumpled vehicle. No other passengers were in the black Honda Freed.

"NParks is deeply saddened by this unfortunate incident," said Mr Ng, and its priority is to extend assistance to the family.

At Monday's Parliament sitting, Member of Parliament Baey Yam Keng (Tanjong Pagar GRC) had asked: How safe are roads from falling trees?

In a written answer, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said 240 "tree failures" were reported last month, 170 per cent more than in June last year.

Mr Mah had added: "Wind forces and sodden soil due to heavy rain ... can weaken the stability of all trees, even the healthy trees, and cause them to be uprooted. Such forces of nature are beyond NParks' control.

"NParks monitors the condition of each tree over time and takes preventive action where necessary to minimise risks of tree failure."

These include replacing roadside trees with hardy species and regular pruning to remove weak or overgrown branches. This has cut "tree failures" by nearly 70 per cent, from about 3,100 cases in 2000 to about 1,000 last year. The uprooted tree on Yio Chu Kang road was last pruned in January.

Mr S L Chua, 55, a resident at nearby Casuarina Walk, "was very concerned" about the big trees "slanting to one side toward the road" in the estate. NParks said it will be inspecting the trees.

Tree lands on car, killing driver
Strong winds and heavy rain caused tree to be uprooted
Kimberly Spykerman & Ted Chen Straits Times 21 Jul 10;

A MAN was crushed to death when a rain tree uprooted and smashed into the car he was driving, pinning him to his seat during yesterday's heavy downpour.

The motorist, 32-year-old Chua Loong Wai, who was alone when the accident happened, suffered injuries to his spine.

The accident occurred at the junction of Thomson Hills Drive and Yio Chu Kang Road at around 2pm.

Officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force took 20 minutes to extricate his body from the tangled wreck of twisted metal with hydraulic spreader cutters.

The National Parks Board (NParks) said it understood that there were strong winds and heavy rain - the result of an intense microburst. A microburst is a localised, powerful, descending air draft column that produces winds at high speed, and is known to knock down trees.

The wind speed at the time was as high as 65kmh. A spokesman added that NParks is assisting the family of the dead man and will be conducting an inspection of the trees in the vicinity.

When The Straits Times arrived at the scene, the black Honda Freed was smashed and a team of about 12 workers had begun taking the felled tree apart. Rain trees can reach between 15m and 25m in height.

Mr Chua's family arrived not long after. Accompanied by police officers, they inspected the wrecked car and took photos of the tree. One man, believed to be Mr Chua's brother, was seen gesticulating angrily at the tree. Things turned tearful when the family was led to a police tent nearby to identify Mr Chua's body. Mr Chua's brother began to sob loudly. The family declined to be interviewed when approached by reporters.

Most residents in the area said they were shocked that the rain had brought down the large tree. Businessman Robert Chia, 55, said: 'This is the first time I've seen any tree topple in the area. I've lived here for over 20 years, and this tree has always been here.'

He added that the trees are trimmed and maintained regularly.

An environmental engineer, who wanted to be known only as Mr Selvan, was in the area when he heard about the accident and he claimed the uprooted tree 'did not have deep roots'. The 27-year-old added that the soil 'is not compact and very loose'.

However, one resident, 55-year-old businessman Chua Siong Lee, said some neighbours had been writing to NParks about slanted trees near his Casuarina Walk home - 400m away from the accident site - since last year. 'Nobody seems to be doing anything' about it, he said. 'The canopy is too heavy. If it's slanting to one side, sooner or later something will happen.'

He cited an incident two months ago, when a tree toppled onto a neighbour's car. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Workers trimmed the branches of the tree next to the felled one yesterday. The felled tree was last pruned in January.

The deadly accident comes a day after Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan said, in a written response to MP Baey Yam Keng, that NParks would review its tree management programme and explore new technology to better assess tree conditions, so as to reduce the incidence of fallen trees.

Police have classified the case as an unnatural death and are investigating.

240 mishaps last month
Straits Times 21 Jul 10;

THERE were 240 incidents involving trees or branches which fell last month, largely due to bad weather.

The figure is more than double the 90 incidents during the same month last year.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan gave the figures in a written reply on Monday to Mr Baey Yam Keng, an MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, adding that 'forces of nature' such as the weather were beyond the control of the National Parks Board (NParks).

Mr Baey had asked how the ministry planned to minimise future disruptions after a spate of incidents.

In his reply, Mr Mah said: 'Wind forces and sodden soil due to heavy rain... can weaken the stability of trees... and cause them to be uprooted.'

He added that NParks is reviewing its tree management programme and is exploring new technology to better assess the condition of trees.

He said that despite the rise in tree failures, the number was down by about 70 per cent over the last 10 years, from 3,100 in 2000 to 1,000 last year.

NParks also conducts regular inspections, pruning weak branches and replacing trees with more resilient species when necessary, he said.

In response to queries yesterday, an NParks spokesman said it will be looking at new techniques in tree maintenance. including pruning a tree's crown, reducing its weight and stabilising it during storms.