Woman who died after Upper Bukit Timah hike was crushed by concrete slab while taking photo: Coroner

SINGAPORE: A woman who died following a hike at a forested area in Upper Bukit Timah had been taking a photo with a friend, posing with a concrete slab at an abandoned village when the slab broke in half and crushed her.

Madam Melita Dollah, a mother of four children, died aged 48 on Dec 19, 2021. The State Coroner on Friday (Feb 17) ruled her death a misadventure.

The court heard that Mdm Melita, an auxiliary police officer, had met five of her friends at Hillview MRT Station at about 9.30am that day. 

They intended to hike at an area in Bukit Timah known colloquially as Kampong Mendoza. The forested area, which does not have official hiking paths, is a roughly triangular area of secondary forest bordered by Lorong Sesuai, Upper Bukit Timah Road and the former Ford factory.

At the time, the area was not fenced off and there were no barriers to prevent entry. There were also no signposts informing the public that they were prohibited from entering the forest.

The group entered the forested area along the northern edge, led by one of the hikers who had been there before.

They walked for two hours, taking photos and admiring the scenery before arriving at the incident location at about noon. The area was the abandoned site of the former village Kampong Mendoza.

There was a vertical concrete slab about 1.5m to 2m tall at the area that was likely a remnant of a building's wall.

The slab rested against an embankment of earth that was about half the slab's height, and a person could stand on the embankment and look over the top of the concrete slab.

There was also a large horizontal crack running across the middle of the slab, but none of the hikers noticed this.

When the group arrived there, they began taking photos around the slab.

One of the hikers wanted to take a photo with Mdm Melita, so she asked the rest to move away. 

Mdm Melita suggested that this woman stand on the embankment behind the slab, while Mdm Melita stood in front of the slab.

Mdm Melita also suggested that the woman put her hands down over the front of the slab, and Mdm Melita would grab her hands.

Another hiker took photos of them in this pose. According to the other woman in the photo, Mdm Melita pulled down on her hands, causing the other woman's weight to be pressed against the slab.

SLAB BREAKS, TOP HALF TOPPLES ON MDM MELITA

The photographer captured photos of them smiling, and also of the slab breaking.

The impact of the slab breaking along the crack injured the other woman in the photo, who cried out in pain.

The group attended to her but soon realised that Mdm Melita's body was crushed by the top half of the concrete slab, which had broken off and fallen on her.

Only her lower legs were exposed, and one of her ankles was badly injured.

The group called for an ambulance at about 12.55pm and guided the paramedics to the forested area. Paramedics arrived at 1.12pm and found Mdm Melita lying down without a pulse nor breath.

She was taken to hospital but could not be revived. She was pronounced dead at about 2.35pm that same day at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

An autopsy found that she was otherwise healthy and had died of multiple injuries. These included lacerations to her lungs and heart and fractures to her vertebrae.

Mdm Melita's eldest son said the family had accepted that it was a freak accident and they did not have any issues or concerns to raise.

The police do not suspect foul play in the case.

CORONER CAUTIONS HIKERS

State Coroner Adam Nakhoda said this was a very unfortunate case, with what had begun as a morning of hiking and enjoying nature ending in tragedy.

"It was all the more tragic as Mdm Melita had not been diagnosed with any chronic illnesses ... and by all accounts was a healthy woman who led an active life," he said.

Judge Nakhoda added that he found no delay in the paramedics getting to the location, given that it was a forested area. 

He cautioned hikers that while the outdoors should be appreciated and enjoyed, hikers should always be aware of the dangers that exist.

Hikers should not stray off designated paths, and if there are no designated paths as was the case here, they should be mindful of any hazards.

A vast majority of the kampungs in Singapore have been demolished, but in forested areas, remnants of buildings may still exist, he said.

This might include walls, floors and possibly wells that might now be overgrown by vegetation, he said.

Hikers should be aware that these structures that have been abandoned for decades are not maintained and are likely to be prone to breaking or collapse, said Judge Nakhoda.

He found that the concrete wall had broken in two at its horizontal crack as it could not withstand the weight of the woman pulling at the top.

He conveyed his condolences to Mdm Melita's four children and her extended family for their loss.