Hong Kong protesters ‘unintentionally’ delayed firefighters’ access to student in car park fall last year
- Fireman tells court roads at the scene were blocked, but that he did not blame demonstrators, adding police also did not obstruct treatment to injured youth
- News footage played in court showed two fire engines arriving at the scene but unable to reach the venue due to roadblock at junction
Lai Wai-kit said his fire engine had to make a U-turn after the road to Sheung Tak Estate car park in Tseung Kwan O, where Alex Chow Tsz-lok was found with serious head injuries, was obstructed by bricks, traffic cones and railings in the early hours of November 4, 2019. His team eventually drove to a nearby bus stop and arrived at the building on foot.
Chow, a Year Three computer science student at the University of Science and Technology, died in hospital four days later following heart failure.
The Coroner’s Court heard that firefighters were dispatched to the car park after a fire alarm on the third floor went off at 12.43am, although they would later learn no blaze had broken out.
The call came shortly after police started firing tear gas and other projectiles at protesters during a nearby clearance operation.
Lai said a man inside the car park told him someone had fallen from a height. He found the 22-year-old student lying unconscious on the second floor.
The senior firefighter, who had been trained in emergency first aid, saw blood around Chow’s mouth, nose and ears but no other injuries were apparent. He was breathing and able to move his limbs but was not answering questions. By the time paramedics arrived, Chow’s heartbeat had become unstable, with blood oxygen slightly lower than normal.