A retired Hong Kong policeman was killed while driving home this morning, when a rock smashed through the windscreen of his car and struck the right side of his face.
Tam Chi-keung, 59, was driving along Cheung Sha Wan Road at around 7am, having just dropped his wife off in Sai Ying Pun, when the incident occurred.
Police suspect that the rock slid off another vehicle before colliding with Tam’s car, the SCMP reports.
The rock measured 10cm x 15cm x 10cm – roughly the size of a hand – and is thought to have been made of building material.
After Tam was struck, his black Mazda MPV drifted for another 100 metres before stopping beside a roadside barrier. On seeing this, another driver reported the incident to the police.
Registered engineer and mechanics expert Lo Kok-keung offered his geeky analysis of the incident:
“Assuming the car and the rock were each travelling at the speed of 50km/h, the force of the shock would be up to 300lbs.”
“A shock of 300lbs would definitely break the windscreen. It could smash the jaw bone,” he added.
Lo suspects that the rock was either dislodged from another vehicle or propelled off the road by tyres.
Police are currently inspecting footage recorded by a camera in Tam’s car.
