An ordinary afternoon at Kembangan MRT Station took a dramatic turn earlier this Tuesday, when an elderly woman took a hard fall along one of the staircases leading into the station.
Fortunately, other commuters and some station personnel were quick to come to her aid, the first of whom was Republic of Singapore Navy regular Andy Lim.
Reader Alexander Chan, who was near the scene and witnessed the aftermath of the woman’s fall, told The Pride: “There were red marks on her head which looked like some bruising. The way she walked also became quite unstable.”
As Chan recounts, Lim was the first to see that the woman was in some trouble, and went forward to support her.
“Another lady also noticed the situation, so she called the MRT security staff, who then informed the station manager.”
After checking on some details of the woman’s fall, the staff were able to identify her as a resident of the area as she was a familiar face at the station.
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Chan said: “They found out that she lived just across the road, and arranged for a wheelchair to bring her home.”
Inspired by how quickly everyone came together to lend their assistance, Chan caught up with Lim just as the latter was about to leave the scene, assured that the woman was in the MRT personnel’s good hands.
“I asked for his name, and when I commended him for his kind act, he explained in an empathetic tone that he had seen her fall and got worried that she could be seriously hurt, and so decided to come forward to help.”
The exchange prompted Chan to share the story with The Pride, saying: “So many of our soldiers get flak for the smallest things, but when they do something good, it gets taken in quite a blasé way.
“That show of empathy towards someone else is something that many of us may overlook in the hustle and bustle of our lives. His gesture has reminded me to just stop, take notice of the people around me, and whenever necessary, lend them a helping hand.”