A 44-year-old man underwent emergency brain surgery after he was hit by a remote-controlled toy helicopter yesterday.Law Kwok-wah was rushed by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital with a 20-centimeter-long wound to the back of his head.
Law, who works in a travel company, was said to have over 10 years of experience flying toy helicopters and had won in local competitions.
Police said the accident happened at 1.48pm when Law and his friend, surnamed Wong and over 40 years old, were flying a remote-control helicopter at an open space on Chun Wang Street in Tseung Kwan O.
Police said the man was a friend of the toy owner. Law asked to try the toy and accidentally hit a button on the remote control, causing the helicopter to crash into his head.
The blades of the 1.5-meter-long helicopter broke off in the accident. The helicopter, weighing six kilograms, can fly up to 90 kilometers an hour.
Police are still investigating. The Civil Aviation Department said it will follow up the case, adding that licensing is not required for helicopters weighing less than seven kilograms.
The accident happened at a government site with a warning sign prohibiting flying remote-control toys.
But some aficionados said they simply ignored the warning due to lack of other places in urban districts for their activities.
A Mr Tong, who has been flying remote-control helicopters for the past three years, estimated there were 50,000 to 80,000 play
ers in Hong Kong.Tong said there is only one official site in Hong Kong to fly toy helicopters and the lack of sites makes it difficult. Because of signal interference, only one player at a time can send his toy aircraft aloft.
