Fatal Friday: 19 feared dead in two road accidents
Nineteen people are reported dead within 12 hours after two bloody road accidents at separate locations.
Three fatalities were recorded in the Central Region and 16 in the Eastern Region on Friday, February 26, 2021.
Assin Nyankomase accident
Joy FM’s Alfred Amoh reported that a truck conveying mourners from Assin Nyankomase to Assin Misrenyame veered off the Assin Nyankomase-Assin Senchiem main road and somersaulted several times.
Three passengers died on the spot, and several others sustained serious injuries, including the driver.
The incident occurred around midday, and the Kia truck of the mourners, with registration number AS 9520-18, landed in a nearby bush.
The bodies and the injured persons were sent to the St. Francis Hospital at Assin Fosu.
An ambulance from the hospital was dispatched to the accident scene to transport the bodies.
Accra-Kumasi highway crash
The accident involved two Kia Grandbird buses with registration numbers GT 5629-19 and GE 5510-15, one of which was a VIP bus.
According to reports, the people who died included the driver and mate of the VIP bus.
A total of 13 males and three females lost their lives.
Several passengers who sustained various degrees of injuries were also rushed to the Suhum Government Hospital for treatment.
One of the buses heading towards Kumasi did a wrongful overtaking, and the VIP bus driver heading in the opposite direction attempted to swerve.
The VIP bus veered off the road, but the bus that had done the overtaking could not anticipate the VIP bus driver’s action and drove to the same lane resulting in a head-on collision.
Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service and the Ambulance Service responded to the accident and conveyed the bodies to the mortuary.
The police were also involved in directing traffic.
Personnel from the three institutions were dispatched from Suhum, Kyebi, and Bunso.
Road fatalities in 2020
Road traffic fatalities in 2020 were 2,589 representing a 13% rise compared to the 2,284 registered in 2019.
A total of 14, 886 road accidents were reported across the 16 regions, which was 7% higher than the 13, 877 for 2019.
Out of this, 25, 152 vehicles were involved, a 10% increase from the 22, 789 in the previous year.
Victims who suffered various forms of injuries totalled 15, 517, a 13% rise from 13, 677 just a year ago.
Pedestrian knockdowns totalled 2,728, with 720 of the incidents resulting in deaths. This was a reduction of 9% from the 2,283 with 740 deaths received in 2019.
Unlike previous years, motorcycles were involved in the most fatalities, with 1,056 deaths and 4,684 injuries from 5,684 motorcycle crashes.
A year before, there were 4,643 motorcycle accidents which contributed to 732 deaths and 3,474 injuries.
This shows a 44% rise in motorcycle deaths from 2019 to 2020.
Motorcycle classification comprises motorcycles (two-, three-, and four-wheeled), bicycles and handcarts.
A total of 964 were lost and 7,595 injuries on account of 9, 356 commercial vehicle accidents.
This represented a 10% rise in the number of vehicles involved from 8,489 in the previous year.
Bus, minibus, truck and taxi are some vehicles classified for commercial use.
Private vehicles had the highest number of carnage of 10,112 vehicles, up by 5% from the 9, 657 in 2019.
Out of this came the least fatalities and injuries of 569 and 3,240 respectively.
Minibus, saloon, SUV/4×4, truck, and government cars fall under this category.