https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/insurance-hsbc-life-msig-insurance-tries-share-39k-bill-work-injury-claim-questionable-injuries-court-reject-4516536
File photo of the State Courts in Singapore. (Photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
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SINGAPORE: A court has rejected an insurer's bid to get a second insurer to split a payout of about S$39,000 (US$29,100) to a worker who injured his finger at a building site.
The construction worker was covered by two insurance companies, but only one - HSBC Life (Singapore), previously known as AXA Insurance - took part in contesting the claim.
After reaching a settlement with the injured worker for about S$39,000 despite multiple new injuries being added on, HSBC Life contacted the second insurance company, MSIG Insurance (Singapore), asking for the sum to be paid.
HSBC Life later launched a court application to get MSIG Insurance to foot half of the bill.
In a judgment made available on Wednesday (Jul 31), District Judge Teo Guan Siew rejected the application, saying the settlement HSBC Life had reached with the worker was not "reasonable" in light of the "questionable nature" of the worker's various injury claims.
The worker, who was not named in the judgment, was employed by Long Hui Construction. The company had an annual work injury compensation policy under HSBC Life that indemnified it against any sums it might have to pay to employees who were injured due to work-related accidents.
The worker was assigned to a building project, with the main contractor Soil-Build taking out an insurance policy with MSIG Insurance to indemnify itself against any work injury compensation claims by employees linked to the building project.
On Oct 26, 2019, the worker was engaged in hacking work when a breaker - a heavy-duty demolition tool - fell on his right hand.
He sustained a minor injury to his right index finger and was taken to a clinic at Fullerton Healthcare, which issued him two days of medical leave.
The worker's supervisor gave a similar account of the accident on the same day, and said the worker had stated he felt pain only in his finger and not anywhere else.
As only two days of medical leave had been issued, his employer Long Hui decided there was no need to file any report with the Manpower Ministry (MOM).
The main contractor Soil-Build was later informed of the incident report, but did not notify its insurer, presumably because it also viewed the accident as minor, the judgment stated.
Three days after the accident, the injured worker visited Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH). He complained of back and shoulder pain in addition to his finger injury, claiming that he had also fallen when the breaker landed on his finger.