The accident vehicle
One person died instantly while nine others sustained various degrees of injury when a Ford Caravan veered off the road and ran into some residents of the National Guards Unit Police Barracks on Wednesday afternoon.
The deceased, identified as Saline Twum Ampofu, a trader, was ran over by the vehicle inside a local food joint (chop bar) when she was buying food with others. The 39-year-old Saline Twum Ampofo was the wife of Inspector Twum Ampofu of the police headquarters.
Unfortunately, she died instantly on the spot. The injured victims are currently at the 37 Military Hospital receiving treatment. Driver of the Ford Caravan with registration number GN 3888-15, identified as Paul Agbedor, is in the custody of the Airport Motor Traffic and Transport Unit assisting police in their investigations.
When contacted, DSP Augustine Okanta Akrofi, Commanding Officer in charge of the Airport MTTU, said the death toll could have risen but for the timely intervention of a 17-year-old boy, who saved himself and three of his siblings.
He said the boy was seated in front of his mother’s provision shop together with his siblings when he saw the vehicle moving towards their direction.
“The boy quickly pushed his siblings, who are all minors, inside the container before the vehicle got to where they were seated and it ran further into the chop bar,” he disclosed.
While attempting to escape, the boy, whose father is Latif Nsesomkpa, a police officer stationed at the Detectives Training Academy, was hit by the car sustaining some leg injuries.
Narrating how the accident occurred to the DAILY GUIDE, DSP Akrofi said Paul Agbedor is an Accra – Cape Coast bound driver stationed at Kaneshie Market.
While leaving for Kaneshie, the driver said he was in traffic near 37 Military Hospital when all of a sudden he realized his engine was revving higher than normal.
“At that point the driver said he tried applying the brakes but it failed while the vehicle was still moving and so to prevent the vehicle from ramming into other vehicles, he veered off the central reservation towards 37 where the car eventually ran into the ‘chop bar’,” DSP Akrofi narrated.
He said some residents of the area had wanted to lynch the driver but the timely intervention of some police officers saved him before the MTTU personnel arrived at the scene.
(lindatenyah@gmail.com)
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey