HONG KONG: A secondary school teacher died yesterday morning as he walked to school on the last day before the Christmas holiday. He was killed by a drunk driver.

It happened around 8 am yesterday on Lee On Road, Sau Mau Ping. A car driven by a 24-year-old man swerved onto the pavement, toppled metal rails and crashed against a wall before it stopped.

During its out of control course the vehicle struck two pedestrians: 44-year-old teacher Chu Chi-shing and a 38-year-old woman who was out jogging. Also injured were the motorist and a 22-year-old woman who was a passenger in the car.

All were taken to Christian Union Hospital for treatment. Chu was declared dead on arrival.

Lam Chi-yin, of the Kowloon East Investigation and Support Division, said a breathalyzer test showed the motorist had 65 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. That's more than three times the legal limit of 22. He was arrested for drink driving and dangerous driving causing death.

"I hereby want to remind the public that drink driving is very dangerous, both to oneself and to passersby. Please don't drive after you have consumed alcohol," Lam said.

Eyewitnesses said the car that struck the two pedestrians was moving at considerable speed before the crash. Lam said police examine the speed factor as part of the ongoing investigations. The speed limit of the road is 50 kilometers per hour, he said.

According to the official website of Chinese newspaper Ming Pao, the woman passenger in the car, surnamed Chan, said she and her boyfriend had been clubbing in Tsim Sha Tsui last night and he was giving her a ride home when the accident took place.

A police spokesperson said the police will step up their crackdown on drunk driving during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Officers will conduct random breathalyzer tests on motorists across Hong Kong.

At Ning Po No 2 School, where Chi had taught Chinese and Chinese history since 1993, the holiday atmosphere vanished when teachers and students learned the tragedy.

At a media briefing in the afternoon, Vice Principal Wong King-hung said a Christmas party was underway when news came about Chi's death.

Colleagues burst into tears and some students couldn't stop crying, he said.

Chi is survived by a wife and two sons, both students in secondary schools. The school staff will visit the family in the days ahead to see if they can offer any help, including economic assistance, Wong said.

He described Chi is a popular teacher with a sense of humor. Though he was one of the teachers in the school's disciplinary department, he never thought punishment was the way to deal with students who acted out.

"Students said he was really funny," Wong said.

Teary-eyed students were seen posting notes at a bulletin set up specially by the school. "Will miss your smile," one of the notes said.

(HK Edition 12/25/2009 page1)