Truck runs over cars

Passengers on board four vehicles including drivers of the affected vehicles had to jump from them and race at top speed to save their lives last Thursday at Abrepo Junction in Kumasi.

This was after a Daf articulated truck, with registration number GT 7196-T, fully laden with teak in huge metal containers, which was ascending a hill, developed a fault and started to backtrack.

The affected cars, which were behind the huge truck, were a Toyota Rav4 with registration number GS 5785-10, an Opel Astra with registration number AS 1983-W, a Toyota mini bus with registration number AW 6379-11 and a Mitsubishi Pajero car.

The four vehicles were damaged beyond recognition after the truck, which was moving at top speed, ran over them. The truck later turned upside down, with the driver locked in it.

Richard Karikari, a member of the Ashanti Regional National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), who was at the scene, said they had to use a ladder to climb to the top to save the driver who was locked in the truck.

He said the truck was coming from Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region heading to Tema “but the driver decided to dodge the main route where the Axle Load Weighing Point is located at IPT near Asuoyeboa in Kumasi and used the Abrepo Junction route”.

Mr Karikari said upon reaching the Abrepo Junction traffic light, the truck got stuck in traffic whilst climbing a hill.

When the traffic started to move and the driver tried moving, its long shaft developed a fault so the truck could not move forward but rather started backtracking.

The driver’s mate tried stopping it with a metal object but the truck ran over it and started to move backwards with speed. The driver’s mate, sensing danger, alerted the drivers behind the truck to leave their vehicles and ran.

The drivers and passengers onboard those vehicles heeded the caution by vacating their vehicles and fleeing at top speed to avoid being trapped in their cars by the rampaging truck.

Minutes after those on board the four vehicles had vanished, the heavy truck loaded with teak ran over the cars before turning upside down.

Luckily, no deaths were recorded in the accident but the four cars involved were damaged beyond repairs, Richard Karikari told DAILY GUIDE.

He noted that had driver not tried to dodge the Axle Weighing Point by using the Abrepo Junction road, the unfortunate incident would not have occurred