‘We could have died’: Shocked mum tells of collapse of false ceiling in recently-renovated bedroom

[The_King]

 

 

SINGAPORE — At about 6pm on most days, Ms Wendy Liu, 40, would be lounging on the king-sized bed in her master bedroom with her three children, aged eight, two and one.

Little could she have known that her decision to take her children to the void deck of their flat in Dawson Road, Queenstown to take pictures on Wednesday afternoon (June 8) may have saved their lives.

Ms Liu, who runs a fertility wellness centre, told TODAY that at about 6pm on Wednesday her domestic helper, who had remained in the flat, heard a loud crash and rushed in to see that the false ceiling of her newly renovated master bedroom had collapsed on her bed, narrowly missing her baby’s crib.

She then quickly sent Ms Liu a message to return home immediately.  

“My helper said it sounded like an earthquake, like a huge impact,” said Ms Liu. “Even my neighbour came out of her house to ask what happened.”

 

When they returned home, the scene left her aghast.  

“I keep thinking about how we could all have been sleeping on the bed… I’m very sure we could have died,” she said.  

 

I keep thinking about how we could all have been sleeping on the bed… I’m very sure we could have died.

Ms Wendy Liu

”

The family of five had been living in their four-room Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat for five years and had just completed renovation works, which included removing part of the bedroom wall and installing a false ceiling, in her master bedroom in January. Ms Liu said the work set her back about S$5,000.

Ms Liu said she has reported the incident to the contractor, the Tanjong Pagar Town Council, and the police. TODAY has sought comment from the police.

The contractor, SR Tech Engineering, had arranged for the family to be put up in a hotel for several days while they tried to fix the damage and negotiate compensation.

When TODAY reached out to the company, operation manager Ranamb Masud initially declined to comment.

 

But he later said that he is in touch with the homeowners and is discussing a settlement amount.

 

When pressed, Mr Masud said his contractors have many times installed false ceilings in HDB flats and condominiums and this is the first time such an incident has happened.

He added that the collapse of the false ceiling could be due to the lack of supporting structures.

“What we can do is do our best to solve this. We got accommodation for the family of the client, we are also discussing internally on the compensation amount and we are going to see how we can fix their house,” said Mr Masud.

Noting that Ms Liu no longer wants the false ceiling replaced, he added that his contractors will “fix whatever they want to fix in their house” for free and bring in another professional engineer to endorse the new works.

He also intends to refund double the amount that was paid for the false ceiling, which cost about S$1,100, he added.

 

Ms Liu said the renovation company may be able to fix the damage to her home, but it cannot compensate for the traumatic experience her family had to endure.

 She added that while her children are enjoying the hotel stay, she has not been able to get sleep properly since the incident.

“I feel like I’m living in fear," she said. "It's like I don't know when the ceiling or the fan or the air-conditioner will fall on me and my family."

 

 

[Huat Zai]

@The_King no ceilings at your new house ya, not even for the guns.

[The_King]

35 minutes ago, Huat Zai said:

@The_King no ceilings at your new house ya, not even for the guns.

Yes no fake ceiling, waste of money

[socrates469bc]

who she voted for??????

 

[XianGe]

Cheaper faster better