Hong Kong police have confirmed the arrest of a trucker after a metal rod that allegedly fell from his vehicle flew through a bus windshield, injuring the driver on a highway near Yuen Long.
The 43-year-old trucker was apprehended on suspicion of dangerous driving on Monday night and was released on bail at around 2pm on Tuesday, police said in an emailed statement to HKFP.
Photos of the incident, showing a metal rod piercing through a bus windshield and coming into contact with the bus driver’s chest, have made the rounds of social media since Monday evening, when the incident happened.
According to police, the bus driver, surnamed Lo, was driving on Tsing Long Highway in the direction of Yuen Long when a 73cm-long metal rod crashed through the bus windshield and hit him.
Police received a report of the incident at around 5.45pm. Rescue personnel arrived at the scene and freed Lo, who suffered injuries to his chest. He was sent to Pok Oi Hospital for treatment before being transferred to Tuen Mun Hospital.
The metal rod was believed to have first fallen from the truck, according to a preliminary investigation.
Another driver ran over the pole, launching it into the air and propelling it through the bus windshield, local media reported.
According to local media outlet HK01, 40 minutes before the incident, a driver had noticed the pole on the road. He said he had called the operator of the Tai Lam Tunnel’s 24-hour hotline at least five times, but no one answered.
In response to enquiries, the company told media outlets that a malfunction had occurred, preventing incoming calls from getting through. The problem was fixed by 9am the next morning, the tunnel operator said. It also said the area where the incident occurred was not under its management.
The Transport Department said on Tuesday that it was concerned that calls to the tunnel operator had failed and called on the operator to look into the situation.
