The victim was knocked out of her shoes in the smash under a Megabox footbridge

A woman was killed on Kai Fuk Road just yards away from a pedestrian footbridge in the early hours of this morning.

52-year-old Ms Chen was apparently struck by a taxi driven by 72-year-old Mr Ho who was driving south east on Kai Fuk Road just before midnight. Some reports suggested the victim may have been struck by another vehicle as she crossed the road, with the taxi driver the first to actually stop.

Chen was rushed to United Hospital with multiple injuries but died at 1:13am. Police arrested driver Ho for dangerous driving causing death and are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

The road layout at this part of Kowloon Bay is hostile to pedestrians, involving the Highway 2 on-ramp and at least seven lanes of road limited between 50 and 70 kph, with high dividers between each section. On the eastern side is Megabox mall, “Green Kwun Tong” recycling centre and bus stops serving Yau Tong, Kwun Tong, Tsim Sha Tsui and Hong Kong Island. The western side is mainly construction sites and a government sewage facility.

There is a footbridge just 20 metres away connecting the two sides of the busy road – but it involves taking around 70 stairs up and down, or using ramps, adding up to around a quarter of a kilometre in journey distance.

Only eight days into the year, Ms Chen’s death is the fifth road fatality and third slain pedestrian in Hong Kong in 2023. Meanwhile an 11-year-old girl is still in critical condition in hospital after being run down by the driver of a seven-seater outside a Sha Tin car park.