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She was underneath the truckAfter being knocked down by the vehicle, “the victim was trapped [underneath the truck] and had to be freed by firefighters”, a police spokeswoman said. Photo: The driver of a garbage truck was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving causing death after his vehicle hit and killed an elderly woman in a traffic-light-controlled pedestrian crossing at a Mong Kok intersection on Tuesday morning. The elderly woman was taken unconscious to Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, where she was declared dead shortly before 9.30amSCMP Pictures

Elderly woman dies after being hit by garbage truck at Mong Kok pedestrian crossing

Driver released on bail, with police investigating whether he was trying to speed past red light

An elderly woman has died after being hit by a garbage truck in Mong Kok Tuesday, continuing a horror week on the city’s roads.

The 34-year-old driver of the garbage truck was arrested for dangerous driving causing death, with police investigating whether the vehicle was trying to speed past a red light at the pedestrian crossing.

The crash, which marks the city’s fourth fatal road accident in just six days, happened on Mong Kok Road outside a playground shortly after 9am.

The 78-year-old woman, believed to be a scavenger, was pushing a trolley loaded with junk across Mong Kok Road near the junction with Reclamation Street at the time of the accident, according to police.

After being knocked down by the vehicle, “the victim was trapped [underneath the truck] and had to be freed by firefighters”, a police spokeswoman said.

The elderly woman suffered serious injuries to the lower part of her body and was unconscious when she was taken to Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei. She was declared dead shortly before 9.30am.

A plastic slipper and a trolley loaded with used cardboard boxes was all that remained at the scene.

Inspector Maggie Lau Yan-ki of the Kowloon West traffic unit said the truck driver had passed a breathalyser test and there was no indication he was driving under the influence of illegal drugs.

Police released the driver on bail pending further investigation. He is required to report back to police in late October.

Lau said the site, which was 500 metres from the location of another accident just days earlier, was not a traffic black spot. Last Friday, an 87-year-old man was hit and killed by a car on Lai Chi Kok Road near the junction of Shanghai Street in Mong Kok.

Tuesday’s accident also follows the death of a 42-year-old motorcyclist who collided with a truck on Thursday on Route Twisk in Pat Heung, and a 37-year-old tow truck driver who was hit by a lorry on the North Lantau Highway around 1am on Sunday.

Police figures show there were 73 deaths in 70 road traffic accidents across the city in the first eight months of this year, down from 80 deaths in 79 traffic accidents during the same period last year.

Police have appealed to witnesses and anyone with information regarding Tuesday’s accident to call 3661 9000.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Woman, 78, hit by garbage truck on Mong Kok Road
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