12-year-old boy struck by rock thrown from height at Woodlands

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Over the past few weeks, killer litter has been raining down from Block 611 in Woodlands Ring Road, next to Woodlands Ring Primary School where there is a playground and a badminton court. It seems the litter is aimed at driving away noisy youngsters from the area.

It was probably a matter of time before someone would get hurt.

The unfortunate person turned out to be a 12-year-old boy who was hit by a rock thrown from a high floor on Tuesday. The rock, about the size of a man's fist, cracked the skull of Khairul Azhar, a Primary 6 pupil in the school.

The incident happened at about 3pm at the badminton court where Khairul was chatting with his friends near a group of skateboarding teenagers.

Then he heard a loud sound. When he turned around, he saw that a brick had landed very close to where he was sitting.

"When I saw the brick, we all started running because we were afraid of getting hit," Khairul told The New Paper from his hospital bed at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) on Thursday.

"But before I could reach the nearby shelter, I felt a sharp pain on my head."

He collapsed to the ground crying as blood flowed from his head. Two of Khairul's friends ran back to the school to alert a teacher while two other friends went to his flat in the block to inform his family.

Khairul said the school's operations manager took him to the school and administered first aid in the general office until an ambulance arrived.

"Khairul was conscious when he reached the hospital and the only apparent injury was a 2cm cut on the right side of his head, but an X-ray scan showed that his skull was fractured. The impact of the rock had caused a deep dent on his skull." Mr Amran Mael, the boy's father said.

Fearing possible damage to his brain, doctors operated on Khairul. They had to use titanium surgical screws to elevate the skull away from the brain. The screws will remain in Khairul's skull for life and he could experience fits in the future as a side effect.

Khairul is now in stable condition.

Residents told TNP that items like soiled diapers, dirty water, cigarette butts and even a bicycle had been thrown down the block. Police investigations are ongoing.