By Saio Marrah
Two people were reported to have died, and several others injured, three of them seriously, after a heavy-duty truck lost control and crashed into a wall at Blessing Children's Centre and Primary School at Hill Station last Friday morning.
This was confirmed to Politico by Dr. Gowrinath M George the Medical Superintendent at Choithram Memorial Hospital nearby where the victims were immediately taken following the accident. The remains of the other victims were later taken to the Connaught Hospital Morgue. The three seriously injured after being scanned and stabilized were also taken to the Connaught hospital and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Dr. George confirmed those not seriously injured were treated and discharged.
He said there were three children below the age of eight affected and one of them was among the three seriously injured. Two of the children were in school uniform.
Joseph Stevens who resides nearby and witnessed the accident said in the morning hours between 7 and 8, they were out for the voter registration process. He said there were lots of people including school children around the vicinity where the incident occurred.
He said: “I was talking with Mr. Samba, the police officer…, we saw the truck coming at very high speed. We immediately separated and I, fortunately, went the other direction, I was shouting danger! Danger!” According to him, the truck crashed into the school wall, somersaulted, and landed on the people.
“We immediately rushed to the scene and started pulling people from the wreckage. Some were buried in a pile of sand and as they got out, some were breathing heavily. We first saw two females; a child and an adult who had already died and were still trapped under the truck,”
He said officer Samba and a Top-up seller were among the people they rescued and took to the hospital.
Steven also said there have been several similar car crashes around the vicinity that have led to the loss of lives. He called on authorities to stop heavy-duty trucks from plying the road. Zainab Sesay a member of the Mountain District Police Partnership Board explained how vehicles have been killing school children along that stretch of road in the last two years, due to what he described as reckless driving.
The front of the truck in this latest accident was beyond repair, and a motorbike was also damaged. Sources informed Politico that the cause of the accident was brake failure though it could not be officially confirmed by the police after visits to the Regent Police Post and several phone calls to the Police Media officers for an interview on the incident.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (26/09/22)
