Ong Tean Hoe v Hong Kong Industrial: Damages for Amputation Injuries

In Ong Tean Hoe v Hong Kong Industrial Company Private Limited, the High Court of Singapore heard an appeal by the defendants against the assistant registrar's quantification of damages for the plaintiff's amputation injuries. The plaintiff, Ong Tean Hoe, suffered the amputation of both hands while working as a machine operator for the defendant, Hong Kong Industrial Company Private Limited. The court dismissed both the appeal and the plaintiff's cross-appeal, upholding the assistant registrar's original award. The court emphasized the discretionary nature of damage quantification and the need for substantial justification to disturb the initial assessment.

1. Case Overview

1.1 Court

High Court

1.2 Outcome

Appeal and cross-appeal dismissed.

1.3 Case Type

Civil

1.4 Judgment Type

Grounds of Decision

1.5 Jurisdiction

Singapore

1.6 Description

Appeal concerning damages for amputation injuries. The court upheld the assistant registrar's award, emphasizing the discretion in quantifying damages for personal injury.

1.7 Decision Date

9 October 2001

2. Parties and Outcomes

Party Name	Role	Type	Outcome	Outcome Type	Counsels
Ong Tean Hoe	Plaintiff	Individual	Cross-appeal dismissed	Lost	R Karuppan Chettiar, Fabian Jee Soo Chen
Hong Kong Industrial Company Private Limited	Defendant, Appellant	Corporation	Appeal dismissed	Lost	James Yu, Dilip Kumar

3. Judges

Judge Name	Title	Delivered Judgment
Choo Han Teck	Judicial Commissioner	Yes

4. Counsels

Counsel Name	Organization
R Karuppan Chettiar	Karuppan Chettiar & Partners
Fabian Jee Soo Chen	Karuppan Chettiar & Partners
James Yu	Yu & Co
Dilip Kumar	Yu & Co

4. Facts

The plaintiff was employed as a machine operator by the defendant.
The plaintiff's hands were crushed in an accident at work.
Both of the plaintiff's hands were amputated at the wrist.
The plaintiff was 51 years old at the time of the accident.
The plaintiff's monthly salary was approximately $1,300.
The defendants consented to judgment in respect of liability.
The assistant registrar awarded $729,659.10 in damages.

5. Formal Citations

Ong Tean Hoe v Hong Kong Industrial Company Private Limited, Suit 1102/2000, RA 167/2001, RA 170/2001, [2001] SGHC 303

6. Timeline

Date	Event
1995-04-18	Plaintiff employed as a machine operator.
2000-04-12	Plaintiff's hands were crushed.
2001-08-07	Assistant registrar quantified damages.
2001-09-11	Appeal and cross-appeal dismissed.
2001-10-10	Decision Date

7. Legal Issues

Quantification of Damages
- Outcome: The court upheld the assistant registrar's quantification of damages, finding no substantial reason to disturb the original award.
- Category: Substantive
- Sub-Issues:
  - Overlapping compensation
  - Reasonableness of award
  - Assessment of future costs

8. Remedies Sought

Monetary Damages

9. Cause of Actions

Negligence

10. Practice Areas

Personal Injury Litigation

11. Industries

Manufacturing

12. Cited Cases

Case Name	Court	Affirmed	Citation	Jurisdiction	Significance
Ng Kim Cheng v Naigai Nitto Singapore Pte Ltd	High Court	Yes	[1991] SLR 517	Singapore	Cited as a reference for the amount awarded for an amputation of an arm, although the sum was agreed upon by the parties in that case.
Van der Veldr v Lim Seow Tat	High Court	Yes	[1964] 2 MLJ lvii	Malaysia	Cited as a reference for a similar injury, but distinguished because the plaintiff in that case was able to return to work after therapy and the provision of an artificial limb.

13. Applicable Rules

Rule Name
No applicable rules

14. Applicable Statutes

Statute Name	Jurisdiction
No applicable statutes

15. Key Terms and Keywords

15.1 Key Terms

Amputation
Damages
Mechanical hands
Loss of earnings
Pain and suffering
Nursing care
Artificial limbs
Overlapping compensation

15.2 Keywords

Amputation
Damages
Personal Injury
Singapore
High Court

16. Subjects

Personal Injury
Damages Assessment

17. Areas of Law

Personal Injury Law
Tort Law
Civil Procedure
Damages