Man dies after being hit on head by falling bamboo pole from construction site
Police probe shows object fell from housing development The Pavilia Bay
A man died after being hit by a bamboo pole which fell from a construction site on Tsuen Wan promenade on Wednesday.
A 47-year-old man, a contractor at the site, was arrested by police on suspicion of allowing an object to fall from height.
The victim, identified as Choi Shue-kun, 62, was walking along the promenade in Tsuen Wan Park off Wing Shun Street at the time of the incident at about 11.19am. The victim was a retiree and lived in a public housing estate in Kwai Chung.
He sustained an injury to his forehead, and was found lying on the ground next to a 2.5m bamboo pole, police said. Passers-by notified emergency crews.
“The victim fell into a coma after being hit on the head,” a police spokeswoman said. He was taken unconscious to Yan Chai Hospital, where he was declared dead at about 12.10pm.
A police source said the bamboo pole apparently fell from a nearby housing development – The Pavilia Bay – but officers were still trying to establish if it broke off from the scaffolding.
“We are still investigating from which part of the building the pole fell down and how it fell outside the area of the construction site,” the source said.
“It is possible the pole involved was not properly tied up or it was hit or broken by something. We will look into all possibilities.”
He said mesh used to prevent debris falling down had been erected around the building at the site.
“We will also check whether the mesh was damaged,” he said.
The source said the suspect was likely to be released on bail.
Officers from Tsuen Wan district crime squad were investigating.
According to the Summary Offences Ordinance, if anything is dropped or allowed to fall from any building in the course of construction to the danger or injury of any person in or near a public place, the principal contractor on the site and the contractor carrying out the construction, repair or decoration is liable to a fine of HK$50,000 fine and one-year imprisonment.
The promenade is a popular route for residents from Riviera Garden and Waterside Plaza to go to Tsuen Wan West MTR Station and Tsuen Wan Ferry Pier.
A female passer-by who lives nearby said the construction site was too close to the promenade. “I will stay alert and walk faster when I reach the area,” she said.
