One of the mangled vehicles
Eight people sustained various degrees of injuries when a truck carrying a container rammed into four vehicles at the Mobil filling station bus stop near the Kanda Overpass in Accra yesterday afternoon.
The accident occurred at about 2:45 p.m., temporarily bringing traffic heading towards Circle to a standstill and attracting scores of onlookers to the scene.
The most severely damaged vehicle was a 207 Mercedes Benz commuter bus, which was badly mangled from the impact of the crash. Passengers on the rear seats sustained severe injuries.
Although the victims suffered varying degrees of injuries and the vehicles seriously damaged, no fatalities were recorded.
Traders who spoke to DAILY GUIDE attributed the accident to a possible brake failure. According to them, following the brake failure, the vehicle hit the back of the 207 Mercedes Benz bus, the impact of which affected the other vehicles; veering to the pedestrian walkway beneath the Kanda Overpass, where it finally stopped.
Eyewitnesses said the injured victims appeared helpless immediately after the crash, leaving bystanders to figure out how to help. Help eventually came and the injured were transported to hospital for attention.
The truck driver, who appeared distraught, declined to speak to the media or passers-by. He was later escorted away by officers from the Nima Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), some of whom remained on the scene to restore normalcy.
They were however unable to comment on the cause of the accident, explaining that they had yet to take a statement from the truck driver.
One eyewitness told DAILY GUIDE that she was grateful that no lives were lost, noting that many feared the truck, which was carrying a 20-foot container, could have overturned after the driver lost control.
A taxi driver whose vehicle was also involved in the accident disclosed that he was driving towards Circle beneath the Kanda Overpass when the truck struck his vehicle from behind.
“I never saw the truck coming. The impact hit the back of my taxi and pushed the vehicle towards the GBC side of the road, even though I was heading towards Circle,” he said.
While thanking God for sparing his life, the taxi driver expressed concern about the extent of damage to his vehicle. He said he was uncertain how he would raise money for repairs if the truck driver failed to compensate him.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah