Monkey sets off 10-vehicle pileup
Top News | Stacy Shi 30 Jun 2023www.thestandard.com.hk
Taxis collide on Ching Cheung Road as a 10-vehicle pileup causes early morning traffic jams in Cheung Sha Wan.
No one was injured but the monkey was found dead. No one has been arrested.
Five sedans and five taxis collided on the Ching Cheung Road fast lane heading towards Tsuen Wan at about 7.21am, after a sedan driver abruptly slowed down when she saw something on the road.
But the vehicles behind her were unable to brake in time and rammed into the rear of the sedan, pushing it forward, and leading to the 10-vehicle pileup.
A taxi caught in the middle of the crash had its windows destroyed and both its rear and front dented.
All the drivers stayed at the scene to clean up the mess and assist in the law enforcement investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
Sources said a monkey's carcass was seen at the site of the accident.
Police investigation later found the first sedan was driven by a 53-year-old expatriate woman.
A taxi following her immediately braked after she slowed down but eight other vehicles - four taxis, three private cars and a light goods van - crashed into each other as they failed to brake in time.
The monkey was found under the pileup and was later retrieved by Food and Environmental Hygiene Department officers with a black bag. Blood stains were seen on the road.
According to the Transport Department, a part of the lanes on Ching Cheung Road near Caritas Medical Centre had been closed to all traffic for 1 1/2 hours and reopened at 9.09am.
There was serious traffic congestion and the tail end of the queue reached Lung Poon Court in Wong Tai Sin.
As monkeys are plentiful in Hong Kong, this was not the first traffic incident involving a monkey.
On April 18 last year, a motorcycle collided with a passing monkey on Tai Po Road just opposite Kam Shan Country Park.
According to dashcam footage, the monkey rushed out onto the road and crashed into the front wheel of the motorcycle. Unable to brake, the rider lost his balance. He suffered slight injuries to his shoulders, hands and feet, while the monkey was able to flee.
On November 2, a light goods van crashed into about 12 meters of roadside railings and overturned, as the driver tried to avoid hitting monkeys on the same road.
The van was driving along a bend opposite Piper's Hill, and the 40-year-old driver said he saw several monkeys jumping onto the road, causing him to lose control of his car. He sustained slight injuries to his head and feet and climbed out of the van.
https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/11/253790/Monkey-sets-off-10-vehicle-pileup
