Taxi driver held after woman killed on Tsing Yi crossing
A taxi driver was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving causing death after his cab hit and killed an elderly woman on a pedestrian crossing in Tsing Yi yesterday.
The crash will be reconstructed to establish whether the taxi was travelling above the 50km/h limit. A 25-metre skid mark was left at the scene.
The accident occurred just before police launched a two-week campaign to educate pedestrians, especially the elderly, on road safety. Police say 19 out of 28 pedestrians killed in the first five months of the year were over 60. A further 1,385 pedestrians were injured. In the same period last year, 49 pedestrians were killed and 1,533 injured. Thirty-two of the dead were over 60.
Police believe Yeung Yuet-sum, 87, was crossing Fung Shue Wo Road at 6.10am against a red light.
An investigator said: 'The cabbie pressed his horn and veered into the fast lane, but the elderly woman did not stop. Her head hit the windscreen before she was knocked to the ground.'
The driver said there was a green light for vehicles when he was on the pedestrian crossing. The vehicle was taken to Tuen Mun for inspection.
The investigator said: 'With the help of government chemists, we will reconstruct the crash to establish the speed of the taxi. As it was raining at the time of the accident, we will call in a fire engine to spray water on the road before we conduct the re-enactment.'
The driver, who passed a breathalyser test, was released on bail. A woman passenger in the taxi left before police arrived. Police appealed for her to contact them. Anyone with information should call 3661 1300.
It was the second fatality in two days. On Monday, a 31-year-old man died after being hit by a minibus and truck in Castle Peak Road, Lok Ma Chau.
During the two-week safety campaign, police will distribute leaflets at 70 locations, including traffic black spots, to enhance pedestrians' awareness and appeal to the public to comply with safety regulations.
Police said offenders would be given verbal warnings in the first week of the campaign and stringent action would be taken in the subsequent week.
