Basketball court death: Teen’s guardians settle suit against East Coast Town Council, EM Services

Ridwan was not aware that one of the hoops was sinking when he grabbed the rim of the unstable structure after dunking a shot.

The hoop then crashed on him.

His friends rushed to lift the hoop off him, while the two men called the police and ambulance, but Ridwan died that same evening.

The court heard that the basketball court was renovated in March 2020, with works completed in April.

The contractor of the renovation works was TMS Alliances, according to a CNA report on the coroner’s inquiry.

The installation was outsourced to KAF Resources, which deals with playground equipment, among other things.

The supplier of the basketball hoops was a Malaysian firm, Velocity Sports Equipment.

During the inquiry, it emerged that the hoop near Block 18 Bedok South Road was not the only one found to be unstable.

In March 2020, KAF Resources discovered that one of the basketball structures installed near Block 33 Bedok South was unstable.

This was more than a year before the tragedy.

The construction firm informed Velocity, but the supplier said it was “normal” for the hoops to be unstable as they were made of aluminium.

The unstable hoop near Block 33 Bedok South was not replaced as a result.

The basketball court at Block 18 Bedok South Road and the nearby areas were renovated as part of ECTC’s repair works.

TMS Alliances was awarded the tender in June 2019, which then subcontracted the installation to KAF Resources.

The court heard that the firms did not engage a professional engineer for the installation of the hoops.

The IO said an engineer would have, among other things, provided guidance on welding points.

The engineer would also follow up with an inspection after installation, reported Shin Min.

The court heard that TMS Alliances had claimed it was not aware that it needed to hire an engineer.

The IO said the firm did not check if KAF Resources was engaging one as part of the installation process.

However, investigations revealed that TMS Alliances and KAF Resources had agreed in a contract to hire a professional engineer for the installation.

Although TMS Alliances and the town council conducted visual checks, Shin Min reported that ECTC did not check if an engineer was hired for the installation.

The investigator said there were several factors that contributed to the hoop’s collapse.

One of them involved the welding points. Another possible cause was the lack of a metal reinforcement bar in the basketball structure.

A report by the Health Sciences Authority showed that inconsistent welding may have contributed to the collapse. 

The basketball court was inspected between January and July 2021, including six times in July 2021, CNA reported.

According to CNA, State Coroner Adam Nakhoda said that no contributory cause can be ascribed to the players in this case, as they were playing in a manner that is expected with basketball, and if the frame had been manufactured and installed correctly, it should “never fail”.

The coroner also directed the IO to check on the other basketball court with the unstable hoop, and other frames supplied by Velocity.

ST asked ECTC if the town council had conducted checks on projects that involved TMS Alliances, KAF Resources and Velocity Sports Equipment.

A spokesperson said the town council is unable to comment as the coroner’s court hearing is ongoing.

“We will provide further updates once the proceedings have concluded,” the spokesperson added.

Following Ridwan’s death in 2021,

on the basketball structures that they manage.

In September that year, Mr Lim Biow Chuan, who was coordinating chairman for People’s Action Party town councils, told ST if the structures are deemed safe, the town councils have the discretion to open the courts for residents to use.

The coroner’s court, which has yet to issue its findings, will hear Ridwan’s case again on Nov 27.