Husband sues Singapore National Parks for negligence after Indian wife killed by falling tree

The husband of an Indian woman, who was killed after a 270-year-old tree fell on her in a tropical garden in Singapore, is suing the country's parks board for damages over negligence, according to a media report. Radhika Angara, 38, was pinned down by the tree and died later in hospital three years ago. A subsequent coroner's inquiry ruled that her death was a tragic misadventure.

In documents seen by Channel News Asia, her widower Jerome Rouch-Sirech claims that the National Parks Board's negligence led to the collapse of the Tembusu tree on Feb 11, 2017, pinning his wife down. The couple was attending a public concert at the Singapore Botanic Gardens with their then-11-month-old twins when the incident occurred.

In his statement of claim, Rouch-Sirech alleged that the board, which is also called NParks, failed to have or implement a proper or adequate system to discover that the Tembusu tree was in an unsafe condition. He also alleged that NParks did not have a proper and adequate system for assessing or inspecting the 270-year-old tree in a way that would disclose that it was not in a healthy condition.

The document added that NParks had failed to have in place a satisfactory system of inspection for old and large trees including the one that fell. Rouch-Sirech's lawyers, from law firm Tan Rajah & Cheah, also wrote that NParks either knew about the dangerous condition of the tree or should have known about it, and failed to correct it.

The board exposed Rouch-Sirech's late wife and her family to unnecessary risk of danger, damage or injury, alleged the lawyers. The lawyers argued that it was because of this negligence that Angara sustained severe injuries leading to her death, including fractured ribs, multiple fractures of the face, rib and hip, and bleeding.

While no total figure of damages sought was explicitly stated in court documents, the papers stated that Angara was employed as a marketing director with Mastercard Asia/Pacific at the time, with an annual income of 252,600 Singapore dollars per year excluding bonuses. This income was likely to increase progressively over the next 25 years, with the lawyers estimating that it would have tripled to at least 757,800 Singapore dollars per year over this period.

Her husband and children were dependent on her for support, said court documents, and her death meant the loss of this support on top of Rouch-Sirech's bereavement. Rouch-Sirech is also claiming 5,000 Singapore dollars in damages for pain and suffering and about 23,000 Singapore dollars in legal costs for the coroner's inquiry. He is also claiming 6,500 Singapore dollars for funeral expenses and 5,100 Singapore dollars for administrative matters.

In its defence documents seen by the Channel, NParks rejected the allegation that its negligence, or that of its servants and agents, caused the collapse of the tree. It said it had "implemented a system to ensure that the Tembusu tree was inspected and maintained regularly to ensure that it was in a healthy condition".

Both sides attended a pre-trial conference in High Court on Tuesday and the civil trial is expected to follow at a later date, the report said..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)