Hong Kong bus driver behind crash that injured 19 admits to dangerous driving, citing fatigue from caring for sick wife
- Defence says Ng Kim-wing, 58, has been struggling to pay for wife’s cancer treatment since losing job
- Sentence carries a maximum penalty of seven years in jail
A Hong Kong bus driver behind a crash which left 19 injured admitted on Monday to dangerous driving and said he had dozed off behind the wheel because he was tired from nursing his sick wife.
The District Court heard that on November 30, 2017, Ng Kim-wing was driving a double-decker on route N31 from the airport to Tsuen Wan when it rammed into a medium goods vehicle parked along a road shoulder on the North Lantau Highway.
The collision, which happened shortly before 5am, propelled the truck forward by 50 metres and trapped its driver, who sustained an eye injury and had to stay in hospital for two weeks.
Ng, 58, and 17 passengers were also brought to hospital.
Some passengers reported that the bus had swerved to the left on the highway but that the driver had not braked, steered away or sounded the horn before the accident.
Ng later told investigators that he had been feeling “a bit unwell” at the time and did not know he had crashed into the back of the truck.
On Monday, he pleaded guilty before judge David Dufton to one count of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm, for seriously hurting five people.