Falling steel pipes hurt cyclist in Sichuan

A bicycle rider in Chengdu, Sichuan province, was hit on the left arm, head and back by steel pipes that fell from a truck on an overpass 15 meters high on Wednesday afternoon.

As he approached the Chengdu-Pengzhou Overpass on the Third Ring Road in the city, Zhou Jiahua was stunned to see nearly 50 pipes falling from the overpass, according to the Chengdu Economic Daily.

Subconsciously, he used his left hand to protect his head. But as several pipes hit him, he lost consciousness and was taken by ambulance to a hospital.

Although his condition was not serious, he had a wound about 3 centimeters long on the left of his forehead, doctors said.

The incident happened when a truck turned sharply on the overpass, the inertia effect causing the pipes to topple.

The pipes created more than 20 holes 3 to 4 meters deep on the asphalt road under the overpass. Fortunately, no one else was hurt, the Chengdu Economic Daily said.