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A 10-year-old boy has sustained injuries on his head after falling down the stairs of an SBS Transit double-decker bus.

His mother hopes to claim the medical bill from injuries incurred during the accident, but SBS Transit said they could not established any negligence on the bus caption's part after conducting an investigation.

Boy fell down the stairs, suffering deep cut

The boy's mother, Serene Koh, told Mothership that her 10-year-old boarded the double-decker bus 807 from a bus stop near Blk 359 in Yishun at around 4:25pm on Oct. 12, 2022. He was making his way to his tuition class after school.

The boy decided to move upstairs after observing that the lower deck was "occupied".

According to Koh's police report, her son was almost at the top of the stairs when the bus "suddenly moved".

He lost his balance and rolled down the stairs.

"The main point is: Can a bus move when passengers are walking upstairs?" Koh asked.

The boy sustained a 2.5cm long and 1cm deep cut on his head, according to her police report shared with Mothership.

Koh also shared a video showing the injury.

Viewers discretion is advised for the video.

Boy's mother wishes to claim medical bill

An ambulance was called and the child was sent to KK Women's and Children's Hospital, according to both Koh and SBS Transit.

Koh said that the cut on the boy's head was stitched up and he was administered medication. He also was granted medical leave days to rest.

The hospital bill came out to S$183.80, after government subsidies.

In the email to SBS Transit, seen by Mothership, Koh said that the boy was hurt because of "neglect of care for minor passengers" and so she hoped to claim the medical expenses incurred from this accident.

Koh also mentioned that she was not able to work as a Grab driver for a couple of days as a result.

She added that she has to support three children and her husband who is a stroke patient with his "right side disabled".

"As for now, our intention is to recover the medical expenses and some cover for my lost," Koh wrote to SBS Transit.

SBS Transit's investigation and response

In response to Mothership's enquiries, Grace Wu, Vice President (Special Grade), Customer Experience and Communications at SBS Transit said they were in touch with Koh to extend care and concern on the day of incident.

SBS Transit has also conducted an investigation into the incident, which includes viewing the CCTV footage.

From the footage, the boy was making his way up to the upper deck when the bus started to "move off gradually from the bus stop".

However, they noted that "he was not holding onto the handrails and, as a result, lost his balance and fell".

Wu said that the bus captain immediately stopped the bus.

Together with several passengers, the bus caption attended to the boy, Wu added in her statement.

Wu said that the bus captain contacted SBS' Operations Control Centre, which called for an ambulance to convey the boy to the hospital.

As a result, SBS Transit could not establish any negligence on the part of the bus captain and therefore was unable to admit Koh's claim.

"We would like to take the opportunity to encourage and remind passengers onboard buses to hold onto the stanchion poles or grab bars for support at all times for their own safety. This includes holding onto the handrails when going up to the upper deck," Wu said.

Top image via (buses[IN]gapore!)/FB and Koh.