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| The severe crash crumpled the taxi's front |
The Philippine Consulate says it is assisting the family of a Filipino tourist killed when an 80-year-old driver lost control of his taxi, causing the vehicle to mount a pavement and pin the victim to a marble pillar of a hotel in Tsuen Wan.
Vice Consul Gino Mariano, head of the assistance to
nationals section, told The SUN in a text message, “The Consulate General is currently
assisting the family of the deceased and is anticipating their arrival in Hong
Kong soon to arrange the shipment of the remains. The Consulate General is
closely coordinating with the Hong Kong Police Force while the official
investigation of the case is ongoing.”
VC Mariano said the remains of the deceased are at the Kwai Chung Public Mortuary, while the elderly taxi driver remains in police custody.
He said one of the steps being considered is to file
compensation for the family of the victims with the Traffic Accident Victims
Assistance Scheme.
Another is to file a personal injuries claim, with
the help of the Legal Aid Department, against the driver and his insurance
company.
Earlier the police said they arrested the driver for
dangerous driving causing death. He reportedly told investigators he felt dizzy
as he tried to drive to the taxi queue, and mistakenly accelerated as he drove
straight on.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
A video of the crash shows the Filipino tourist who was
rolling a small luggage on the pavement after checking out of the hotel being
hit on impact by the runaway vehicle, which also caused a huge dent on the
marble pillar behind him.
The Filipino was rushed to hospital but was declared
dead about an hour after the crash.
A member of the Legislative Council’s transport
panel, Michael Tien, repeated a call for authorities to tighten fitness checks
on elderly taxi drivers.
Tien said his heart “sank” on hearing that the
driver was 80 years old, as the incident again sounded the alarm on elderly
drivers being allowed to operate public transport.
He called on the government to immediately regulate
health checks and working hours of elderly professional drivers.
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| An 84-year-old driver was behind the wheel of this taxi which careered down Fortress Hill Road in March 2023, severely injuring 2 women |
Recent fatal accidents involving elderly drivers
prompted a government proposal in 2023 requiring commercial drivers aged over
70 to submit a medical examination certificate yearly instead of every three
years, but this has yet to be acted upon.
Tien urged the government to make this mandatory by
the first quarter of next year.
He also suggests limiting the daily working hours of
drivers of all public transport who are aged 70 and above.
