Hong Kong trucker arrested after metal rod pierces bus windscreen, hits driver
Pole struck driver’s chest but only caused minor injuries, with man praised for managing to safely bring bus to halt
Hong Kong police have arrested a man on suspicion of dangerous driving after a metal pole fell from his truck, pierced the windscreen of a double-decker bus and hit the chest of its driver, who narrowly escaped death.
The rare incident occurred at about 5.40pm on Monday, when a 73cm-long (2.4-foot-long) pole struck the windscreen and hit the left side of the driver’s chest, shortly after the packed bus passed an interchange near the northbound exit of Tai Lam Tunnel.
The bus was part of the services for Citybus route 967, going from Admiralty to Tin Shui Wai.
Emergency services arrived shortly after and found the driver conscious with only minor injuries. He was then transported to Pok Oi Hospital in Yuen Long for treatment of a scraped chest.
Police seized the pole for further examination and later arrested the 43-year-old truck driver on suspicion of dangerous driving.
After preliminary investigations, the force said the heavy goods truck was travelling along Tai Lam Tunnel towards Yuen Long when the metal pole fell from the back of the vehicle, hitting a private car behind it.