5-year-old in stroller falls off S’pore flyer platform
A five-year-old boy veered off a platform and fell into a safety net at the Singapore Flyer last Sunday evening, after his father lost grip of the stroller the boy was seated in.
The New Paper (TNP) reported that the boy’s father, known as Mr Tan, had just disembarked from a capsule after the 30-minute ferris wheel ride when he accidentally let go of his son’s stroller.
According to Singapore Flyer centre manager Thiru Ramayah, who spoke to the same paper, the stroller rolled down the disembarkation platform, which is sloped, and slipped off it, falling about half a metre into a safety net below.
After hearing a shout for “code red”, Ramayah saw what had happened in his closed-circuit television monitor from the Flyer’s command centre, and rushed out to ensure that the five-year-old was unharmed.
“The boy appeared to have been tipped out of his stroller and trapped under it,” said Ramayah to TNP, adding that three technicians lowered a rescue ladder to the safety net to help the boy up.
Senior technician Glenn Villaflores told the paper that the boy was “crying non-stop” and seemed very afraid.
“Everything happened very quickly,” said the 28-year-old. “We were very focused on getting the child to safety.”
Ramayah added that Mr and Mrs Tan seemed equally traumatised by what had happened, saying that Mrs Tan was also sobbing. The family was led to a quiet area to calm down after the crew had rescued the five-year-old.
“We offered them water, and one of my staff members even bought stuffed animals from the gift shop for the boy and his younger sister to try to calm them down,” he said.
The Flyer was halted for four minutes as the rescue effort took place, and Ramayah said there was no need for an announcement to be made because it was over so quickly.
A spokesperson for the Flyer told Yahoo! Singapore that the safety net installed below the wheel can support loads of up to 300kg.
She also said that members of staff are stationed along the boarding and disembarkation decks, as well as in a control room, to ensure that guests are looked after at all times.
“This ensures that staff members on ground are able to react quickly to any emergency,” she said.
Railings are also installed along the boarding and disembarkation decks, and staff members stationed right beside the capsule entry and exit points to usher guests safely, added the spokesperson.
“The Singapore Flyer takes the safety of our guests very seriously and we hope that our guests will also exercise caution and responsibility to ensure their safety,” she said.
