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10 accident stories from January to April 2022 that should make road safety a priority

The impact of road traffic injuries could be enormous, affecting societies and individuals in different facets.

Accident

Road traffic accidents in Ghana contribute factors and economic consequences.

It is estimated that some 1.4 million people die from road crashes globally, with most of these being the youth and people from developing countries.

The burden of road crashes in Ghana requires a conscientious and multi-sectorial approach to reduce its occurrence and impact, while policies need strengthening and enforcement at all levels.

In 2020, at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, road traffic accidents accounted for 62% of deaths in the casualty unit of the emergency department. Interestingly, among the deaths caused by road crashes, 50% occurred in pedestrians, 31% in passengers and 18.7% occurred in motorists. It is worthy of note that among persons injured from road traffic crashes in this same study, 26% were related to motorbike accidents.

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In 2021, the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service confirmed that 2,924 lives were lost through road crashes.

It also emerged that 15,680 people are battling various degrees of injury. This is also a 1.05% rise compared to the 2020 injury figure which was 15,517.

Out of the 2,924 deaths recorded last year, 1,266 deaths and 4,758 injuries were a result of motorcycle-related crashes.

A total of 2,930 pedestrians were knocked down. Again, 28,152 vehicles were involved in road carnages in 2021. This is an 11.93% jump compared to figures in 2020.

Pulse.com.gh takes a look at the number of road crashes from January to April that should make road safety a priority.

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  • 5 dead in accident on Accra-Kumasi highway

On Monday, April 4, 2022, a road accident on the Accra-Kumasi highway resulted in the death of five people.

Their vehicles reportedly crashed between the Apedwa and Bunso junction of the highway.

Five people out of a total of 13 passengers onboard a Toyota Hiace minibus died on the spot, the Eastern Regional Police Public Affairs Officer, DSP Ebenezer Tetteh has confirmed.

He said the accident happened near Akyem-Birimso.

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The bus they were traveling in reportedly veered off the road and crashed into the rear side of an articulated DAF truck.

The police said the driver of the Toyota minibus with registration number GT 3799- 16 now deceased, reportedly lost control of the bus and crashed it into the articulated truck with registration number AK 1145 – 21.

  • 9 students of the University of Education Winneba die in a fatal accident

On Sunday, March 13, 2022, at about 3:30 am, at least nine (9) students of the University of Education Winneba (UEW) have died while over a dozen others are seriously injured in a fatal accident at Asuboi a community along the Accra to Kumasi highway.

The driver of the Hyundai Universe Commercial bus was allegedly sleeping behind the steering wheel.

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The Public Relations Officer of the Eastern Regional Police Command DSP Ebenezer Tetteh explained that the suspect driver yet to be identified in charge of the Hyundai Universe commercial bus with registration number AK 324-22 with the students aboard was from Sunyani towards Accra.

  • 5 feared dead in accident at Kwahu Oframase

A ghastly accident on the Accra-Kumasi Highway on Sunday, March 13, 22, has resulted in the death of five passengers.

The accident occurred at Kwahu Oframase near Nkawkaw in the Eastern region.

The accident occurred when a Mercedes Sprinter bus with registration number GC 6521 crushed into a DAF articulator truck with Burkina–Faso registration number BF 9290D603.

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The driver of the Mercedes Sprinter bus had eleven passengers on board en route to Kumasi from Accra.

After reaching Kwahu Oframase on the Nkawkaw-Accra highway, he is reported to have crashed into the DAF articulator truck parked on the side of the road.

  • 46 injured in two separate accidents on the Kasoa-Cape Coast highway

About 20 passengers are in critical condition, while 26 other persons are injured and receiving treatment at the Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital.

The casualties are from two separate accidents on the Kasoa-Cape Coast highway.

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The first accident happened at Gomoa Mpota while the second happened at Gomoa Mankessim in the Central Region.

Police said the three vehicles involved in the first accident were a Sprinter Benz bus, a KIA Rhino, and a DAF Trailer.

  • 18 burnt to death in a fatal accident on the Takoradi-Cape Coast road

At least 18 people are feared dead in a gory accident at Asem-asa, a town situated along the Takoradi-Cape Coast road.

Reports stated that a Ford vehicle from Accra en route to Takoradi crashed with a tipper truck vehicle loaded with quarry stones after a wrongful overtaking by the truck.

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The accident occurred on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.

It stated that personnel from the Ghana Fire Service and the ambulance service from the Western and Central regions were quick to respond as they flooded the scene to control the fire outbreak as a result of the accident, transport casualties, and control road traffic as well.

However, the number of dead individuals cannot be confirmed but there were no survivors from the Ford and at least, 18 were confirmed dead.

The occupants on board the Ford 15, including a two-year-old child, were burnt to death beyond recognition.

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  • Ghastly accident on Bole-Bamboi highway leaves four dead

Four lives have been lost in a fatal accident at Kwame-Kwasi, a community on the Bole-Bamboi highway in the Savannah Region.

The accident which occurred Sunday, April 24, 2022, involves an ESP bus with registration number AP 7778-21 that ran into a moving trailer with registration number GR2703-P loaded with goods en route to Mali.

According to eyewitnesses, the driver of the ESP Bus was speeding when he crashed into the trailer in a failed attempt to overtake the Mali bound trailer, leading to the death of the four instantly.

  • 5 dead, others injured in an accident on Suhum-Koforidua road
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Five persons are feared dead while others sustained severe injuries in a motor crash on the Suhum-Koforidua road in the Eastern Region.

The incident is reported to have happened on the evening of Friday, February 11, 2022.

The vehicles involved in the two accidents included three commercial vehicles, two private cars, and a truck.

  • One dies in an accident on Hohoe-Kadjebi road

One person died in an accident on the Hohoe-Kadjebi section of the Eastern corridor road after a car developed a flat tyre leading to the driver losing control of the Urvan bus which was transporting passengers including students from the Bueman Senior High School in the Oti Region.

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A man believed to be in his 40s lost his life with others and sustained various degrees of injuries in the accident.

The accident occurred on Saturday, January 29, 2022, between Bowuri and Akpafu.

Reports stated the vehicle somersaulted several times and landed upside down, killing a man on the spot.

  • Savelugu-Walewale highway accident claims 10 lives

Ten people are feared dead when an accident involving a Kia Rhino truck crashed a motorcycle in the Northern region on Sunday, January 23, 2022.

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The Kia Rhino truck carrying about 33 mourners to a funeral at a community along the Savelugu-Walewale highway crashed and somersaulted several times.

Six of the victims are reported to have died on the spot while four others died later when rushed to the Savelugu Government hospital.

  • Driver and mate trapped in the mangled truck after an accident at Ofankor

Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service and good samaritans undertook a rescue operation to save a driver and his mate who were trapped under a heavy-duty truck that got mangled after veering off the road on the Ofankor and Tantra Hill on Monday, January 31, 2022.

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The truck, with registration number GW 6311 W carrying bags of cashew seeds veered off the road in between Ofankor and Tantra Hill and overturned.

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