Injured HK traffic officer regains consciousness after bridge fall: Police chief

The traffic police officer who fell from a bridge while trying to avoid an out-of-control bus began to regain consciousness, Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said.

The 31-year-old officer, who suffered severe injuries in Friday’s crash, remained in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Tuen Mun Hospital. 

"The good news is that he is waking up," Chow told reporters after attending an event. "We are waiting for further medical examinations and hope his condition continues to improve."

Chow also defended the officer’s actions, saying the responding officers followed proper procedures.

"Colleagues at the scene did everything they should have done," he said.

"But accidents are accidents. Given how the bus crashed, it’s hard to say any method could have entirely prevented this."

The incident occurred around 5:24 pm on Friday on the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Highway near Ha Tsuen Interchange.

A police car was parked on the roadside assisting a broken-down Citybus when another bus, operating on the B3X route, approached at high speed and slammed into the police car and pushed it into a taxi.

Video footage circulating online shows that the traffic officer standing near the rear of the disabled bus attempted to evade the oncoming vehicle but had no escape route.

He then jumped from the 15-meter-high bridge to avoid being hit, landing in a wooded area below.

About 10 passengers on the bus were also injured and taken to hospitals for treatment.

The bus driver was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm and authorities are still investigating the exact cause of the collision.

(Ayra Wang)