The peaceful Saturday morning in Cape Coast, Ghana, was shattered by a tragic accident at Nkafoa Junction. A fully loaded cargo truck, bearing the registration number AW 3475 – 21, en route from Accra to Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, became the instrument of tragedy. Carrying bales of assorted second-hand goods, the truck met its ill-fated moment around 10:10 am. The vehicle lost control and toppled onto its passenger side, trapping an unsuspecting security man identified as Mr. Awumesi, an employee of the Central Regional House of Chiefs. The unfortunate victim, caught beneath the immense weight of the overturned truck, lost his life.
The aftermath of the accident was a scene of intense rescue efforts and mounting grief. First responders, including personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service and the Ghana Police Service, quickly arrived at the scene. Joined by concerned community members and eyewitnesses, they embarked on a desperate attempt to free the trapped victim. The task proved arduous, demanding more than five hours of relentless effort to lift the heavy truck. Tragically, when Mr. Awumesi was finally extricated, he was lifeless. His body was subsequently transported to the morgue at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital.
While the accident claimed the life of Mr. Awumesi, the truck driver miraculously escaped unscathed. His mate, however, sustained minor facial injuries. The driver’s account of the incident placed blame on a sprinter bus that he claimed had overtaken him improperly on the road’s rumble strips. In his attempt to avoid a collision with the bus, he lost control of the truck, leading to the tragic outcome.
However, eyewitness accounts painted a somewhat different picture of the events leading up to the accident. They reported that the truck had been traveling at a high speed when it experienced brake failure approximately 300 meters before the junction. Faced with the imminent danger of colliding with two sprinter buses ahead, the driver swerved onto the shoulder of the road in a desperate maneuver to avoid impact. This action caused the truck to lose balance and overturn, tragically crushing Mr. Awumesi, who happened to be relieving himself by the roadside after a visit to a nearby canteen.
The accident’s impact extended beyond the immediate tragedy, causing a significant traffic jam on the Accra-Takoradi main highway. The overturned truck effectively blocked a crucial section of the busy route, disrupting the flow of traffic and underscoring the far-reaching consequences of such incidents. The disruption served as a stark reminder of the importance of road safety and the potential for devastating consequences when safety measures are overlooked.
DOII Abdul Wasiu Hudu, the Central Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the National Fire Service, provided an official account of the rescue operation. He confirmed that the Fire Service received the distress call at 10:15 am and arrived at the scene promptly at 10:24 am. The rescue team, realizing the complexity of the situation, enlisted the help of a towing truck to lift the overturned vehicle. This revealed the grim reality: Mr. Awumesi had been buried beneath the truck in the sand. His body was then formally handed over to the police for transport to the morgue.
The tragic accident serves as a stark reminder of the inherent risks on the road, emphasizing the need for adherence to traffic regulations and responsible driving practices. The conflicting accounts of the incident highlight the importance of thorough investigations to determine the precise sequence of events and establish accountability. The loss of Mr. Awumesi’s life underscores the human cost of road accidents, urging caution and vigilance from all road users. The incident also brings to light the challenges faced by emergency responders in dealing with complex accident scenes, requiring specialized equipment and coordinated efforts to mitigate the damage and save lives.
