Two persons crushed to death on N1 Highway
Two persons are feared dead in a road accident on the Accra-Achimota section of the George Walker Bush N1 Highway.
The accident occurred close to the Nogahill Hotel at about 5 pm on Monday, May 31, 2021, during the rush hour.
According to an eyewitness, two persons on a motorcycle were heading towards the Achimota overpass on the three-lane highway followed by some articulated trucks.
The motorcyclist tried to move into the middle lane to allow the articulated trucks in the inner lanes to bypass them.
In an attempt to cross, the motorcycle was knocked by the truck.
The rider and his passenger fell on the busy street, and the truck ran over the rider.
The passenger, who fell in the way of another oncoming truck, got crushed to death.
Both trucks did not stop but drove at top speed away from the scene.
The accident has caused heavy traffic as the bodies were left on the street.
Other road users decided to cover the bodies with palm fronds.
Some police personnel later arrived at the scene to control the traffic, but there was no ambulance to convey the bodies to a health facility.
What is the trend for road traffic crashes?
The first quarter of 2021 has already posted 771 fatalities, an increase of almost 50% within the same period in the previous year.
This figure also exceeds COVID-19 deaths at the peak of the pandemic in 2020.
To put it in perspective, close to nine people die daily.
A total of 2,589 lives were lost to road crashes in 2020, the highest since 1991, according to data from the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) and the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA).
This figure represents a 13% rise compared to the 2,284 registered in 2019.
Besides pedestrian knockdowns which registered a decline of 9%, all other parameters recorded a surge despite restrictions and a partial lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was also consistent with high fatalities associated with election years as citizens hit the polls in December 2020.
Motorcycles Push Road Fatalities To Highest Since 1991
The country recorded the highest road traffic fatalities in the last 30 years due to increasing motorcycle accidents in 2020.
Motorcycle accidents contributed approximately 40% to the total deaths in the last year.
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.
Impact of accidents
WHO estimated that road traffic crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic product.
Approximately 1.35 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes.
On average 93% of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these countries have approximately 60% of the world’s vehicles.
WHO indicated road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 years.
This group forms the economic active group of the population, which affects their families and the manpower of the nation.
Some major accidents in 2021
- A road crash in February killed 17 passengers and injured 44 others early Wednesday, February 3. A police statement said the accident occurred when two passenger buses travelling opposite directions collided head-on at a town near Buipe, a community along the Kumasi-Tamale highway.
Sixteen persons died on the spot, while one more died at a hospital where the injured were receiving treatment.
The deceased included 12 males, five females, and one child.
The accident involved two buses with registration numbers GT 3345-16 and AC 1699-20.
They were travelling from Kumasi to Zebila and from Garu to Kumasi, respectively, when they ran into each other.
- Nineteen people were 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.
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 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.
- Three persons got burnt to death when the Mercedez Benz saloon vehicle they were travelling with was involved in an accident on the Spintex road in Accra. However, one passenger from the Benz was rescued and currently in critical condition at the LEKMA Hospital.
The driver of the Mercedez Benz vehicle reportedly ignored warning signals of an earlier accident on the road and run into a 20 footer container that had fallen onto the road.
Police personnel were present at the scene directing traffic. They were supervising the removal of the container from the road when the second accident occurred and resulted in the death of the three persons.
The accident happened on Saturday, March 20, 2021.
- Five people died on the spot after an accident at Obretema in the Suhum Municipality involving a Mercedes Sprinter Bus. They were travelling to Accra from Kumasi on the bus with registration number GW 7444 – 21 when the crash occurred at about 2:30 pm on Sunday, April 12.
According to the police, one of the car tyres burst, causing the driver, 35-year-old Eric Ohemang, to lose control.
- Twelve people perished, while seven others sustained serious injuries after an accident on the Buipe-Tamale highway. Eleven died on the spot, including an eight-year-old girl at Alipe in the Central Gonja District of the Savannah Region.
A Toyota minibus with registration number AS 2872-20 veered off its lane and collided head-on with a DAF tipper truck with registration number NR 578 loaded with sand.
There were 18 persons on board travelling from Tamale to Kumasi.
The driver of the minibus was one of the people who died on the spot.
The crash occurred on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, at around 7:30 pm.
The accident occurred after a commercial vehicle (trotro) rammed into a faulty trailer parked in the middle of the road at about 4:30 am on Wednesday, April 14.
According to eyewitnesses, the trailer driver failed to place any sign indicating that his vehicle had broken down.
The trotro driver, on top speed, could not see the stationary truck, which carried a Togolese number plate, resulting in the crash.
The driver of the trotro and another occupant are reported dead.
Personnel from the Ghana police and the Ambulance Service were at the scene to rescue trapped occupants from the vehicle.
- Three Pedestrians Killed In Car Racing Near Burma CampThree innocent persons died while three others are battling for survival after they were knocked down by a car engaged in a racing competition at the 37 Lorry Station area in Accra. They were killed by an overspeeding Toyota Camry Salon car with registration number GR- 1708 -21 driving from the Trade Fair direction and heading towards the 37 roundabout, which lost control and crashed.
Together with a Mercedes Benz saloon car, the drivers defied road regulation and engaged in a competition within the high-security military zone where the Burma Camp is also located.
The incident occurred at about 8:30 PM on Wednesday, April 14, the same day two persons lost their lives in an accident at Tesano in Accra, making it 17 deaths within two days.