Lucky escape for Hong Kong driver and wife after falling tree crushes car on Mid-Levels road
PUBLISHED : Monday, 20 April, 2015, 12:18am
UPDATED : Monday, 20 April, 2015, 12:37am
Samuel Chan [email protected]
The car was crushed under the fallen tree. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Two people had a lucky escape yesterday afternoon when an 18-metre-tall tree fell on top of the car they were in on Bonham Road, Sai Wan.
The 67-year-old male driver and his wife, 60, were able to free themselves unhurt from the vehicle after the tree on Prospect Place hit their black Mercedes at about 3pm.
Showing signs of decay at its roots, the tree lay across the two-lane road with its top touching the front entrance of King's College on the opposite side. Witnesses said one of the school's air conditioners was damaged.
Traffic was held up while firefighters cut the tree into smaller segments for easier removal.
It is the latest in a series tree falls to have blighted the city. In January, a decayed tree fell onto the 150-year-old Pak Tai Temple - listed as a grade-one historical building - and last August a heavily pregnant woman was killed by a falling tree on Robinson Road in Mid-Levels.
A Drainage Services Department spokesman said the latest inspection of the tree was in March this year, and the department would investigate.
Experts in Hong Kong have called for a specific law to manage trees. The government says it maintains a prudent and open attitude towards such legislation.
It also says most countries do not have specific legislation imposing requirements on how property owners should maintain their trees.
The Tree Management Office said it would provide advice and assistance if necessary.
