A dump truck driver died after his head was crushed between his vehicle and an excavator at a Hong Kong construction site on Thursday, prompting authorities to investigate whether negligence was involved.
Police said the driver had been standing behind his truck and working in a space between the vehicle and an excavator at around 9.59am at the Lai Kong Street site in Kwai Chung.
“A preliminary investigation indicated that during the rotation of the excavator’s operation cabin, the driver was struck and pinned between the truck and the rotating compartment,” a police source said.
Workers promptly alerted emergency services.
The insider said the victim’s head was badly crushed. The man was freed but certified dead by paramedics.
The source said crime-squad officers were investigating whether the excavator operator was negligent.
No arrest had been made as of midday.
A police spokesman said the case had been classified as an industrial accident and the Labour Department had been notified.
The department said it had sent staff to the scene and it was conducting an investigation into the cause of the accident.
