Tragedy struck the Z family less than a week after moving into their flat at Block 165 Yishun Ring Road.
Their four-year-old son died after he fell nine storeys from the master bedroom window, which did not have window grilles installed.
Although the father, who wanted to be known only as Mr Z, 40, acknowledges that he shouldn’t leave his child alone at home, he also partly blames their contractor, who did not install the grilles in time.
When The New Paper visited the family yesterday, there were grilles in all the room windows. The boy’s father said they were installed two or three days ago.
Mr Z admitted he could not escape blame for his son’s death and it was “negligence on his part”.
He declined to use his full name as he wants to protect his remaining children, aged two to 10, and hopes to help his family move on from the tragedy.
Said the security officer: “That day, we all made the ‘fast’ decision (to leave the youngest two at home alone), which was the wrong decision. And we have paid for it with my son’s death. I can take that blame, it is our fault.
“But the grille thing had a part to play too. The contractor played a part in this by not fulfilling his contract.”
Yesterday, MP for Nee Soon GRC and Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam wrote in a Facebook post that he would help the family seek legal recourse against the contractor.
When contacted, the contractor that there was no “set date” as to when the company had to complete the installation of the grilles.
Source: www.tnp.sg
