Off-duty Hong Kong paramedic dies 2 days after crashing his car into van

An off-duty Hong Kong paramedic has died two days after his car slammed into another vehicle on Tolo Highway in the New Territories.

Authorities told the Post on Sunday that he had died the night before at around 9.33pm.

The 31-year-old paramedic surnamed Chen was driving on Tolo Highway near Chinese University at around 7pm on Thursday when he reportedly failed to stop in time before crashing into the rear of a van, according to a source.

Chen suffered serious neck injuries and was taken unconscious to Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin for emergency treatment, the source said.

His neck had been sliced open by a sharp object, local media reports said.

The Fire Services Department said Chen had worked with the Tai Po Ambulance Station and a welfare team had been providing assistance to his family members.

“The department is saddened by the death of [Chen] and will continue to provide all possible assistance to the family,” the department said.

The city recorded 2,400 traffic accidents resulting in injuries in the first two months of this year, with 15 fatalities, according to provisional police data.

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Last Friday, a 43-year-old man died after losing control of his motorcycle and crashing into traffic barriers on Tuen Mun Road in Siu Lam.

In March, police launched a manhunt for a driver who struck a woman after he was confronted by officers for parking illegally on a lane off Castle Peak Road in Sham Shui Po district. A week earlier, a driver hit four pedestrians near a fresh fruit wholesale market in Yau Ma Tei before fleeing the scene.

In February, four traffic accidents were reported on Tolo Highway within an hour on the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, with at least nine people, including a baby, injured.

The city logged 17,189 injury-causing traffic accidents last year, a 14 per cent rise over the 15,107 cases in 2022. Fatalities were also up about 6 per cent, from 90 in 2022 to 96 in 2023.