Tragic Londiani Trailer Accident: Driver’s Desperate Attempt to Avert Disaster
According to reports, the driver of the trailer that was involved in the tragic accident that occurred on June 30 in Londiani and resulted in the deaths of over 51 people on the road tried to stop the collision from taking place.
After their trailer broke down somewhere along the Kericho-Nakuru highway, the Rwandan driver and his turnboy parked it by the roadside to make a quick repair so that they could continue with their journey.
Residents of the area claim that a truck that was transporting cement experienced mechanical difficulties approximately three kilometers away from the intersection, which required the driver to chock the wheels to keep the vehicle from moving while the necessary repairs were carried out.
However, an unexpected event occurred when the chocks failed due to the weight of the goods, which resulted in the loaded trailer becoming loose and posing a threat to drivers and passengers on the road who were not expecting it.
“The vehicle that was responsible for the accident had broken down in the Senate area along Mau Summit-Kericho Highway before the accident occurred. An eyewitness related their experience, “I saw the driver and his conductor working on the trailer approximately three kilometers from the junction.”
As the truck started to speed down the slope, gradually gaining momentum, the driver, who had been caught off guard, resorted to jumping into his seat to seize control of the vehicle in a last-ditch effort to prevent the situation from becoming more dangerous.
“The vehicle had come to a stop as a result of some mechanical problems. After the driver and his assistant got out of the vehicle, it suddenly started moving despite the chocks that had been placed underneath the wheels to stop it.
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“The truck cabin had separated from the trailer and was acting like a separate vehicle, over which the driver had no control,” the eyewitness added. “The driver had no idea what was going on.”
Peter Otieno, one of the drivers traveling along the Kericho-Nakuru highway at the time of the accident, stated that upon seeing the speeding trailer and sensing danger, he slowed down to avoid a head-on collision. This was one of the reasons why the accident occurred.
However, another driver behind him decided to pass him and drove straight into the oncoming trailer, causing a fatal accident that consumed nearly seven other matatus. The driver who passed him was involved in the accident as well.
After that, the trailer crashed into a roadside market, taking with it boda boda riders and other people who were using the road.
In response to the incident, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen issued a directive to the Energy Petroleum and Regulatory Authority (EPRA) on Saturday, July 1, requesting that they investigate the sale of unadulterated fuel by the roadside.
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Addition, he issued an order mandating that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) install speed cameras in the region to apprehend those who violate traffic laws.
In addition, the CS strongly recommended that county governments persuade roadside vendors to relocate their businesses.
On the other hand, police officers have been given the directive to step up their enforcement efforts on all roads and to arrest drivers who disobey traffic laws.
At the very least 2,124 people lost their lives between January and June of 2023, as indicated by data that was made public by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) on Thursday, June 29.
The statistics show that pedestrians were to blame for a significant proportion of these deaths, accounting for 729 of the total lives lost.
Tragic Londiani Trailer Accident: Driver’s Desperate Attempt to Avert Disaster
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