5 women hurt by falling signs at Metro exit
Print Edition
FIVE women were injured yesterday afternoon when two huge signs fell and struck them at an exit of Zhongshan Park Metro station.
One of the young women, who are all colleagues, suffered a spinal fracture after the boards pinned her to the ground.
Another sustained a deep cut that exposed her skull. The other three had less serious head injuries, said medical officials.
The group, office workers at a South Korean company, were struck at the Metro exit on Huichuan Road, that leads both to the subway and Zhaofeng Plaza, shortly before 1pm.
They were returning to work from lunch at Zhaofeng Plaza when they were hit by the signs that are several meters long.
One belongs to the plaza, while the other was put up by the Metro operator at Line 2’s Zhongshan Park Station No. 7 exit.
According to the Zhaofeng Plaza property management office, they were linked by electrical cables for lighting.
A plaza security guard, surnamed Liu, who was on duty nearby, told Shanghai Daily that they fell about 12:50pm.
Blood could be seen on the floor where the signs fell, before police cordoned off the area.
The women were rushed to Huadong Hospital where one was found to have a fracture to her lower spine.
A doctor told Shanghai Daily that while surgery would not be required, she would have to remain in bed for eight weeks.
The other four had cuts and bruises to their heads, including one woman who had a deep cut that exposed her skull.
“This patient received four stitches to the head,” said Dr Xu Jun from the hospital’s neurosurgery department.
The women received scans and had suffered no neurological injuries, added officials.
“We were just standing there when the sign fell suddenly,” one victim, surnamed Xin, told Shanghai Daily at the hospital.
“My colleague with the fracture was trapped under the sign, while I was injured on the head‚” she added.
The Shanghai Greenery and Sanitation Administrative Bureau, which supervises outdoor light boxes and advertising signs, sent inspectors to the scene in the afternoon.
According to an official surnamed Cao, the wooden Metro sign caused most of the damage. The Zhaofeng Plaza sign is made of plastic foam.
The bureau is investigating the cause of the accident.
“It’s still hard to say whether it was because the Metro sign fittings were worn or the plaza sign added too much weight,” Cao told Shanghai Daily.
Cao said the transport authority decides the size and design of signs at subway exits.
Metro operator Shanghai Shentong Group said it undertakes monthly safety inspections of its signs and nothing unusual had been reported.
Tang Liang, manager of Zhaofeng Plaza’s property management office, said its sign was put up a year ago.
The plaza security guard said the boards fell without warning, though he suspected that the strong winds yesterday were a factor.
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