Police have detained a 51-year-old truck driver for dangerous driving causing death after he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a bus stop at Pat Heung in the New Territories, killing one woman and injuring three people on Wednesday night.
At 10:55pm, the driver was steering his truck on Tsing Long Highway towards Pat Heung but after passing Tai Lam Tunnel Toll Plaza, he lost control of the vehicle, which rammed into the bus stop before rolling down a slope and collided with a car traveling on Pat Heung Road, a government press release said.
There were around 10 people waiting at the bus stop. A 27-year-old woman hit by the truck was found on the slope with multiple serious injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The truckdriver, plus a 59-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman were sent to Pok Oi Hospital. All were conscious. A 28-year-old man also sought treatment at the same hospital on his own.
Police are investigating the driver’s mental state, his physical condition, the speed his truck was traveling at and whether it had any mechanical problem, HK01.com reported.
But it was understood that the driver, who had five years’ experience driving trucks, passed a breathalyzer test, Radio Television Hong Kong reported.
A witness surnamed Chong said he was riding on a bus to Sheung Shui at the time of the accident, Apple Daily reported. Chong said when his bus passed by the interchange stop, he saw many people take out their phones while waiting there. Suddenly, he heard a loud bang and saw the truck fall down the slope while several people had been knocked to the ground.