Boy falls 15 floors down lift shaft and survives
Published: October 16, 2006
The eight-year-old lapsing in and out of consciousness has fractures in both legs, a possible spinal injury and numerous bruises. But, there is only one thought in S. Logeswaran’s mind: school.
This is the repeated request of the Year Two pupil who fell 15 floors down a lift shaft at his flat in Taman Putra Damai, Kelana Jaya, on Wednesday.
Logeswaran cannot feel the pain as he has been heavily sedated.
His anguished father, S. Sivakumar, 28, has no immediate answers for him as it will take months for Logeswaran’s health to return to normal.
“Every time he awakens, he says ‘Appa, don’t cry. Only my head hurts. Can I go to school tomorrow?’” the lorry driver said.
He does not have the heart to tell his son the truth.
Logeswaran, a pupil of Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil Vivekananda in Petaling Jaya, is being treated at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre paediatric ward.
Doctors believe he may have suffered spinal cord damage.
Sivakumar is angry that poor maintenance of the lift led to the accident.
“The lifts break down at least four times a month. When I asked the maintenance crew about it, they said there were no spare parts.”
The family moved into the flat six years ago after their squatter home in Kampung Semarak was demolished.
His wife, K. Radha, 33, said she had advised her son to take the staircase when he left their 17th floor unit about 7pm as she heard the lift had broken down.
But Logeswaran saw the lift door open as he passed, and stepped in.
The lift descended to the 15th floor but stopped halfway, leaving the petrified boy screaming for help.
Someone, however, managed to open the door at the 15th floor and Logeswaran leapt to safety. However, he only managed to hold onto a ledge above the entrance.
His hands slipped, but he managed to grab hold of the lift cable. But within seconds, he lost his grip and plunged to the ground floor.
Radha and some residents took the staircase to the ground floor to find Logeswaran still conscious.
She sent him on her motorcycle to the Kelana Jaya Medical Centre. He was later transferred to the UMMC.
Petaling Jaya City Council public relations director Haniza Abdul Hamid said the flat where the incident happened was under the maintenance of SMY Valuers Sdn Bhd.
“The company has lodged a police report and investigated the incident.
“We will only issue a statement after investigations by police and the company have been completed,” she said.
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