SCMP - Passengers warned driver to slow down
Passengers warned driver to slow down
Martin Wong and Anita Lam
Updated on Aug 29, 2009
"We told the driver three times we were about to crash but he did not respond to us," one survivor recalled.
The survivor, who was in shock, said the driver had been driving "strangely" before the crash. "The bus was in the middle of the three-lane carriageway when it started swerving into the left then right lane over about 600 metres ... there were no other vehicles on the road. Some passengers who were sleeping were jolted awake.
"We shouted at him as we sensed something was wrong but he did not react."
Senior Inspector Kiang Kwok-ming said police were considering several possibilities, including whether the driver fell asleep. "We are also inspecting the structure and the speed of the vehicle, the mental condition of the driver and situation of the road, in a bid to learn the cause of the accident," he said.
He said the speed limit on the North Lantau Highway was 110km/h for cars but 70km/h for large vehicles such as the bus. "Some witnesses said the bus was speeding, but we do not know if it is true," he said.
Senior Inspector Kiang said the bus had a flat tyre but it was not known whether it burst before, during or after the accident. "What we can say is that the tyre marks started about 200 metres away from where the bus flipped on its side," he said.
Family members of the three victims attended an offering ceremony at the scene at 4pm.
Their employer, Hong Kong Airport Services, gave each of the families HK$150,000 for funeral expenses.
They also received HK$8,000 from a government emergency fund.
Permanent Secretary for Labour and Welfare Cherry Tse Ling Kit-ching said department officers had contacted the families to offer assistance.
She said that the families of the three people killed in the accident might receive as much as HK$1.7 million in compensation, because it was considered that the accident had happened while they were working.
The injured workers were entitled to sick leave and could get HK$200 a day in medical subsidies.