In a landmark case, a resident who slipped and fell down on a walkway during a rainy day is suing his Town Council for negligence and failing to maintain the walkway properly.
As a result of the fall, the 46-year old father of two was paralysed from the neck down, became bed-ridden (and thus could not work), and needed extensive ongoing medical care. Three years after the incident, the man is still bed-ridden.
The man is now seeking compensation from Sembawang Town Council for medical expenses, loss of earnings and damages for pain and suffering.
Sembawang Town Council has denied any liability to the man and added that it had hired EM Services, to manage the estate (The chief operating officer of EM Services is former PAP MP for Hong Kah GRC, Mr Ang Mong Seng).
This case could very well define the extent to which a town council is responsible for injuries sustained by residents in the common areas in housing estates.
Personally, while I sympathize with this man, I doubt he will succeed in his lawsuit.
The chances of such a freak accident happening to any one of us is actually very low. But if it happens, are we adequately prepared for it?
Which is why I always stress the importance of having the correct type of insurance to my clients. I have encountered people who are paying a lot in insurance premiums but in reality, their actual coverage is quite low.
This is because a lot of these premiums go into savings type of policies.
And unfortunately, because these people are already paying a lot in premiums, they are reluctant to increase their coverage to address their gaps.
Insurance is not about how much you are paying, but what you are covered for.