Almost three years after his 25-year-old son died in one of Hong Kong’s worst industrial accidents, Tsui is still trying to understand the cause of the tragedy at the construction site where a 65-tonne tower crane collapsed and killed three men.

“On the day the crane fell, all I had was anger and my head was blank. Only later did I feel empty, lost, and a sense of longing. I’ve never experienced these before, nor did I realise it could be so difficult to be hit by all these feelings at the same time,” the 63-year-old, who only wanted to be identified by his surname, said on Labour Day on Thursday.

“After my son’s passing, I was told my court case won’t stand a chance. I want to understand why. In Hong Kong’s so-called free and civil society, why won’t I stand a chance? I struggle to fathom why some seem to be able to evade their responsibilities.”

Tsui’s case was one of 68 construction fatalities in 2022, which dropped to 65 in 2024. There were a total of 7,423 industrial accidents and occupational injuries in the construction industry in 2022, which saw a 16 per cent decrease to 6,252 in 2024.

Tsui said he has not had a good night’s sleep since his son’s death, but hiking helped distract him with exhaustion and knee aches, so he could sleep through the night without interruption.

He has also been very active in support groups with other fathers who have lost their children to industrial accidents and would visit their families at their homes, which he said has helped to alleviate his own grief.