A Filipino employee of a car wash near the Barrier Gate border checkpoint is suspected of accidentally stepping on the accelerator of a car and ramming into two cars in front of him yesterday morning, injuring himself and five other workers – all of them Filipinos – who were cleaning other cars, according to the police.
All of them are non-resident workers in Macau. Two of them suffered serious injuries, according to the police.
The accident occurred at around 11 a.m. in the car wash in Rua da Serenidade. After being alerted of the accident, paramedics and firemen rushed to scene. They found two of the men trapped under the cars and pulled them out, according to the police.
The accident occurred at around 11 a.m. in the car wash in Rua da Serenidade. After being alerted of the accident, paramedics and firemen rushed to scene. They found two of the men trapped under the cars and pulled them out, according to the police.
According to the firemen, of the two trapped under the cars, one suffered a leg fracture and the other serious head injuries. The two seriously injured, along with the other four suffering relatively minor injuries – including the worker suspected of accidentally stepping on the accelerator – were rushed to the public Conde de Sao Januario Hospital Centre for treatment.
The police said that a provisional investigation showed that the Filipino suspected of accidentally stepping on the accelerator does not hold a Macau driving licence. The extent of the injuries of the employee who is believed to have caused the accident was not disclosed.
The police have launched an investigation into the exact cause of the accident.
According to a statement by the Health Bureau (SSM) yesterday evening, the six injured are aged between 30 and 49. One suffered a fractured left knee – he was still in ICU last night – another suffered a skull fracture, and the third one sustained a concussion. The other three suffered slight limb contusions. The three that were seriously remained hospitalised last night – two of whom underwent emergency surgery, while the third was kept in for observation, while the other three who sustained minor injuries were discharged in the afternoon.
In addition to the six injured, a seventh employee who witnessed the accident was also taken to the public hospital because he was suffering from shock, the SSM statement said, adding that he was discharged after outpatient treatment. According to the firemen, the witness to the accident is also from the Philippines.
“Officers from the Philippine Consulate General Macau SAR [Special Administrative Region] went to visit the men in the hospital and spoke to their relatives, who are living in Macau, to provide them with support or any assistance they may need and also updating the families since the Philippine consulate is monitoring the case,” Vice Consul Ria Valdez told The Macau Post Daily on the phone.
One of the Filipino men injured in the car wash accident in Rua da Serenidade yesterday is being taken to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre. Photo: Iong Tat Choi
PLEASE READ THE FULL ARTICLE IN OUR PRINT EDITION.
