It’s been a grim 24 hours on the roads, and then some.
After a fatal motorcycle crash yesterday in Ngau Tau Kok, an 87-year-old woman was this morning killed when a truck driver, unaware she was behind his vehicle, reversed and dragged her under the wheels.
The two separate cases follow on the heels of a spate of fatal traffic accidents on Hong Kong’s roads, including the death of another elderly pedestrian struck by a school bus last week and a horrific incident that saw a 56-year-old crushed by a taxi.
This morning’s case, according to police, happened at about 5am in Mong Kok. The truck, driven by a 40-year-old, knocked down the woman as it reversed on Cheung Wong Road and Shamchun Street junction, according to a police statement.
According to Apple Daily, the driver — who has been arrested for dangerous driving — failed to notice the woman standing behind the vehicle dragging a cart behind her.
CCTV footage obtained by the newspaper, which some readers may find upsetting, shows the woman noticing the truck behind her at the last second and trying to run away, only to be pulled down and underneath the vehicle. Her screams can be heard in the footage.
Police arrived at the scene shortly afterwards and cordoned off the area. The woman was declared dead at the scene.
She was holding a trolley that contained some shoes, two bags of clothes, and various computer parts.
The deceased has not been formally identified, but Apple Daily reports that she lived at the Shun On Estate in Sau Mau Ping, near the Kwun Tong district.
Many of the market vendors recognized the woman, who they say took the bus to Mong Kok every morning to sell goods at the so-called “dawn market” at Tong Mi Road. She had reportedly been doing this for 10 years.
Dawn markets are street markets selling items that have been thrown out. They are run by mainly the elderly and homeless, and open really early in the morning to avoid the government’s hawker control teams. The deceased relatives have also been contacted.
In another traffic-related incident yesterday, police are investigating a fatal traffic accident that killed a 41-year-old secondary school teacher.
Mak Siu-fai was riding his motorcycle along Wan Chiu Road towards Mong Kok at around 12:40pm yesterday when he collided with a light goods vehicle near Sheung Yee Road.
Mak was rushed to United Christian Hospital in an unconscious state having sustained injuries to his chest, bt was later declared dead at 2:11pm.
The 59-year-old driver was arrested for dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm.
According to Apple Daily, Mak taught Business, Accounting and Financial Studies (BAFS) and Integrated Humanities at the Lingnan Hang Yee Memorial Secondary School in Siu Sai Wan.
