On the day after the implementation of the Prohibition on Face Covering Regulation in 2019, protests and marches took place across multiple districts. A taxi lost control in Sham Shui Po and mounted the pavement, injuring two female pedestrians. The driver was later dragged out of the vehicle and assaulted by protesters. One of the injured women, whose right leg was broken in the incident, earlier filed a claim in the High Court against the taxi driver, seeking over HK$8.4 million in damages. The case began trial at the High Court yesterday.
The plaintiff is Park Hoi Lam, and the defendant is Cheng Kwok Chuen. The incident occurred on Oct. 6, 2019, at the junction of Sham Shui Po's Yen Chow Street and Cheung Sha Wan Road. Park Hoi Lam testified in court that on that day, she and a friend were travelling from Tuen Mun to Tsim Sha Tsui. When the bus reached Sham Shui Po, it could go no further. She got off at Cheung Sha Wan Playground and was walking along Yen Chow Street when she saw a large gathering of protesters. She suddenly heard people shouting loudly and, turning around, saw the taxi charging forward. She tried to run ahead, but the taxi was travelling very fast and struck her. She recalled that there were no passengers in the front seat of the taxi at the time, and she remembered the driver wearing a red top.
During her hospitalisation, she underwent seven surgeries during her hospital stay and was not discharged until Jan. 2020, and will require a total knee replacement in the long term. She stated that after the surgeries, she has multiple large scars on her thighs and calves, her right knee cannot fully extend, and she feels pain and a foreign body sensation even when at rest. She needs to rest after walking for 60 minutes, and it takes extra time for her to sit down or stand up. She currently works as a clerk at a full-day kindergarten, with a monthly salary of about HK$15,000. Her duties include helping to tidy up bedding and carrying meal boxes and food containers, which places a certain strain on her leg and requires assistance from other school staff.
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