Reported in The Straits Times on 2 September 2020 and Channel News Asia on 6 October 2020
Two moviegoers were injured on Sunday, 30 August 2020, after ventilation ducts in a cinema hall in Nex shopping mall fell from the ceiling. As a result, all Shaw Cinemas are being inspected as a precautionary measure.
The Nex branch is currently closed to investigate the incident, as well as assess the condition of other ducts in the affected cinema hall. The two injured moviegoers have since been discharged from hospital.
Preliminary findings indicate that a significant amount of water had accumulated in the layer of acoustic material surrounding the ACMV (air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation) duct, whose weight likely overloaded the brackets that were supporting the duct, causing them to give way.
Ms. Gloria James-Civetta, head lawyer at Gloria James-Civetta & Co, said that the injured patrons could pursue a “tort action” against the cinema for negligence, adding that they could possibly get compensation for pain and suffering or even loss of income because of the incident.
The question of which party to be sued will have to be determined by a lawyer for the plaintiffs.
Shaw cinemas at Nex is set to re-open in April 2021, in which more precautionary measures will be taken to prevent a recurrence of such incidents in the future.
Source:https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/all-shaw-cinemas-being-inspected-following-incident