5th February 2023 – (Hong Kong) At 1.54am today (5th), a man surnamed Leung (35 years old) drove a private car to pick up a man surnamed Lee (36 years old) and a 17-year-old male passenger along Ping Ha Road towards Lau Fau Shan.
Suspected of losing control, the car crashed onto the sidewalk and smashed a stone pillar about 1 meter high, before hitting a lamppost and a tree successively. The car then slammed into the iron railings of a canal.
In the accident, the 17-year-old passenger in the back seat of the private car was thrown out of the car and fell into a canal about 4 metres deep. Leung and Lee were trapped in the car, and both fell into a coma. The firefighters and paramedics were called to the scene to rescue the trapped victims.
The firefighters used hydraulic shears to cut off the roof of the car and successfully rescued the two trapped victims.
The passengers who fell into the canal were conscious and were rescued. The three suffered head and chest injuries respectively and were sent to Tuen Mun Hospital by ambulance for treatment. The private car involved in the accident was turned into scrap metal.
Police officers suspected that there were drugs or contraband in the car involved, so they transported the car to Tai Lam Chung Vehicle Examination Centre and deployed police dogs to assist in the search. However, due to serious damage, a thorough search could not be carried out. The driver involved was also unable to provide a breathalyser test sample due to injury. The accident and its cause are subject to further investigation.