Hong Kong minibus driver arrested after fatal crash with motorcycle in Yuen Long

A minibus driver was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving causing death after a fatal collision with a motorcycle at an intersection in Yuen Long yesterday.

A police source said officers were investigating whether the driver was trying to speed past a red light.

The man, 53, was released on bail pending further investigation after being held for questioning for several hours.

The crash happened outside Yoho Mall at the junction of Castle Peak Road and Long Yat Road shortly before 6.30am.

The motorcyclist, 36, a Hong Kong resident of Indian origin, was riding along Castle Peak Road while the minibus, carrying several passengers, was in the opposite lane. As the minibus was making a right turn into Long Yat Road, the motorcycle slammed into its left door.

Before he was arrested, the driver claimed the green light was flashing when he entered the junction, adding that his vehicle was in the middle of the carriageway when the motorcycle approached at high speed and rammed into his minibus.

Inspector Lee Ka-sing of the New Territories North traffic unit said the motorcyclist’s head probably struck the minibus door before he was thrown more than three metres away.

“The motorcyclist [who sustained] serious head injuries was taken to Pok Oi Hospital, where he was declared dead,” he said.

It is understood that the dead man, who was a construction worker, was on his way home, in Kam Tin, Yuen Long, after ending work in Tung Chung, Lantau.

Police said the minibus driver, who passed a breathalyser test, and his passengers were not hurt.

Debris from the motorcycle littered the carriageway, while the minibus door was dented. Both vehicles were towed to a government vehicle plant for examination.

Lee said the location was not a traffic black spot, adding that police were investigating whether the driver or the motorcyclist had tried to jump a red light at the time of the accident and whether any mechanical fault was involved.