‘Trotro’ Collides With Trailer, Several Persons Injured

A Sprinter Vehicle travelling from Accra to Kumasi collided head-on with a Trailer truck from the opposite direction.

About 20 passengers on board the Sprinter Vehicle with registration number GR 5333-18 have suffered various degrees of injuries.

The Driver and two other passengers at the front of the Sprinter during the accident are reported to be in critical conditions after being extricated from the mangled vehicle.

They have been rushed to the Suhum Government Hospital for emergency care.

According to an eyewitness, Kwadwo Minta, a NADMO staff in Ayensuano District, the driver of the Sprinter Bus made a wrong overtaking.

“The driver of the Sprinter Bus fully loaded with about 20 passengers made wrong overtaking and collided head-on with this Long Trailer Truck from Burkina Faso. We had to cut some metals at the front to remove the driver. One other passenger was motionless,” he explained.

Footage by the eyewitness noticed scores of passengers showing signs of post-trauma stress disorder and gasping for breath .

This accident happened after similar near fatal multiple accidents in Odumase Krobo, Suhum, and Akyem Osiem in the Eastern region on Friday, December 20, 2019.

Eastern region is notorious for the high rate of road accidents. A total of 722 accident cases were recorded in the region from January to October this year. Out of this,1062 were as a result of vehicle crashes,188 knockdowns,228 were reported dead with 1,288 injuries.

The Eastern Regional Director of the National Road Safety Authority(NRSA) Abdulai Bawa Ghamsah, is alarmed by the high rate of road accidents in the region.

The Authority is embarking on training programs for drivers in the region as a result. He has however, cautioned drivers that, passengers are not “chicken and sheep” to be killed during Christmas.

“The Christmas does not come to use some of our brethren [passengers] as chicken and sheep for Christmas celebration”

According to him, human error constitutes an alarming proportion of cause of high carnage on the road therefore cautioned drivers in Ghana to strictly adhere to road safety regulations in their endeavours to help save lives.

Provisional statistics according to the Director-General of Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), Commissioner of Police Christian Tetteh Yohuno
indicates, a total of two thousand and eighty-three (2083) persons died in 12502 road accidents recorded in Ghana between January to November this year. Twelve thousand, Seven hundred and Sixty-Six (12766) were injured

Vehicles involved were 20185.

“In 2018 the cases reported from January to November is 12,396, and in 2019, cases reported is 12,502 there is an increase of 0.86% of accident cases reported when compared to 2018. Vehicles that were involved in accidents in 2018 were 20,082 and then in 2019, it is 20,185 increase of 0.79% .

Persons killed in 2018, we have 2118, and in 2019, it is 2083, a decrease of persons killed by 1.65%. Then persons injured, in 2018 is 12,318 and in 2019 it is 12,766”.

Alarmed by the national outlook on carnage on roads in the Country, the Eastern Regional Director of Road Safety, said although the number of people who died on the road during the period under review has reduced by 1.65%, 2083 fatalities recorded is terrifying and unacceptable.

Estimates show that Ghana loses over 230 million dollars yearly due to road accidents representing about 1.7% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.