By Politico Staff Writer
A heavily loaded commercial truck on Tuesday afternoon smashed through the guardrails of the Peace Bridge, also known as Congo Cross Bridge, and plunged into the shallow waters below, leaving its driver and apprentice injured.
According to eyewitnesses, the truck with registration number AOT 205 was carrying bags of cement in the direction of Congo Cross when it started swerving from side to side. Reports further say that the truck began sliding back, then crossed over the opposite traffic lane and crashed its rear onto the barrier, before going down.
People who came to rescue the driver had to smash open the cabin of the over -turned truck, where he was trapped, to pull him out. He was said to have suffered broken legs and a cut to the head. One of the apprentices suffered non-life threatening injuries, whilst another who had jumped off the vehicle was unhurt. The driver was later rushed to the Emergency hospital in Goderich for treatment.
The owner of the truck, Alhaji Mohamed Lamin, who immediately went to the scene of the accident, told Politico that the vehicle had been on the road for little over a year. He was unable to tell what caused the accident, and dismissed suggestion that lack of servicing could have been responsible, saying that the truck was regularly serviced. He also confirmed that it was carrying 350 bags of cement.
The Local Unit Commander (LUC) at the Congo Cross Police Station, Chief Superintendent Harold Hanciles, who was also at the scene of the accident on Wednesday, he it was probably due to overloading or lack of proper servicing. He said it was the first major accident to occur in the area since he was transferred to the station. LUC Hanciles also suggested that the guardrails on the bridge be replaced with reinforced ones.
The Police presence at the site of the crash could however not stop scores of nearby residents from helping themselves to the cement, most of which was soaked after the truck landed on the shallow running water below the bridge.
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