There is a saying in the twi language of Ghana that ‘afutuo nsakra nipa, gye se enso hwe’, to wit, sometimes it is only experience that can change the character or nature of a person. We wish to add that once in a while that learning experience may be too bitter and irredeemable. It may take the individual to the point of no return.
This adage was aptly demonstrated recently on the Accra-Cape Coast road on Saturday, September 11, 2021 when an over speeding driver was killed instantly when he drove head-on into a Metro Mass Bus. The Metro Mass driver was totally blameless in the carnage.
The driver of the Toyota Corolla saloon car was declared dead at the scene, while ten others sustained various degrees of injury after the Metro Mass Transit bus collided with it on the Accra-Cape Coast road on Saturday, September 11, 2021.
The bus, with registration number GS 2614-1, was headed for Accra from Takoradi, while the Toyota Corolla with registration number GV 22-14 was also heading to Mankessim from Accra.
The incident occurred at the Ekumfi Ekwamkrom section of the Accra-Cape Coast highway.
Eyewitnesses say the Toyota Corolla made a wrong overtaking in a sharp curve and collided with the Metro Mass Transit bus.
“Our driver really tried his best to avoid the Corolla, but it was quite impossible. If not for the Metro Mass Transit bus, we would have all died.”
“My friends and I were seated here when the incident happened. We realised the Corolla was speeding. So when it made the sharp curve, it could not apply the brake on time.”
Citi News understands the driver of the saloon car died instantly after the crash, while ten passengers in the Metro Mass Transit bus sustained various injuries.
Indeed, had the driver of the Toyota Corolla survived, this would have been an invaluable experience for him to guide his future as a driver, but unfortunately, he is dead.
The authorities have continued to try to educate members of the public, specifically drivers, on the need to exercise great circumspection when they come on the road, but unfortunately, many drivers, once they get behind steering wheels, go berserk and put themselves and other road users at risk.
It is in this direction that the Daily Searchlight is advising Metro Mass Transport Company to sue the estate of the person who died to recover the cost of repairs to the bus that was damaged, as well as to recover some punitive damages for those passengers in the bus. If there were passengers in the Toyota Corolla vehicle, they should also consider issues a legal process against the estate of the dead man, to recover their losses from him.
We believe that until people who drive begin to feel the force of the law, principally civil law, they would continue to behave recklessly on the road, and continue put themselves and all other road users at risk.
