Second victim dies in taxi tragedy

A 63-year-old woman critically injured in the Tai Po taxi crash has died, taking the toll to two as people continue to bring white flowers to the accident site to mourn the deaths.

The woman, surnamed Sung, died at yesterday Tuen Mun Hospital after being transferred from North District Hospital.

A 59-year-old man, Cheng, was killed at the scene of the accident on Sunday, while eight others who were injured remained in hospital.

Four were in Prince of Wales Hospital, including a four-year-old boy surnamed Lau who was in critical condition. The boy is said to be the son of the five-month pregnant woman surnamed Ng, 37, who suffered a pelvic fracture in the accident.

He is said to have fallen into a coma. He required a breathing tube and had abdominal surgery on Sunday night.

His mother did not have any surgery but remained in the intensive care unit. Her unborn baby is in stable condition, sources said.

Cheng's 51-year-old wife, surnamed Chan, is in serious condition in Prince of Wales Hospital.

On Sunday, a cabbie lost control at the traffic lights on Kwong Fuk Road and rammed into people standing on the pedestrian island.

The driver surnamed Mok, 63, who was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving causing death, is in stable condition at Prince of Wales Hospital.

The Highways Department has blocked one of the three lanes on Kwong Fuk Road and maintenance workers burned incense and joss papers to mourn the dead before carrying out their repair work.

Many people also came and laid flower, among them an eight-year-old boy who felt sorry for the child victim. He said the accident has taught him a lesson.

"Green light doesn't mean it is safe. We still have to pay attention to whether cars might suddenly run into us," he said.

Police has said the driver is suspected of jumping a red light, adding they are investigating the vehicle and mental state of the driver.

An automobile expert said pedestrian islands in the middle of a road have outdated designs and can no longer guarantee people's safety in the modern age.

On a radio program yesterday, the president of the Hong Kong Automobile Association, Ringo Lee Yiu-pui, said: "Safety islands are not safe at all." Designed years ago, the islands can provide little protection to pedestrians, Lee added.

As cars are getting faster and there are more pedestrians than in the past, people will be surrounded by cars zooming in front of them and behind them when they are standing on the island.

He called on people to avoid stopping in the midway area and cross in one go.

"It would be best to separate the traffic and pedestrians, such as using footbridges, tunnels or even smart traffic lights which calculate traffic and pedestrian flow and allocate green light time accordingly," he said.

Lee believes the accident was not caused by poor road design as the road has a speed limit of 50 kilometers an hour and has pedestrian crossings.

carine.chow@singtaonewscorp.com