Nine killed in two Salgaa accidents

A wreckage of a Public Service Vehicle belonging to North Rift Shuttle that was involved in a grisly road accident at Ngata Bridge area along the Nakuru- Eldoret Highway on March 6, 2016.  PHOTO:VINCENT MABATUK

Nine people died in two separate road accidents in Salgaa along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway.

In the first incident, seven people died on the spot after the driver of a speeding trailer lost control and rammed a matatu near Ngata Bridge on Sunday.

Both the driver of the matatu and of the trailer were among those who died on the spot.

The matatu that was headed to Eldoret had 11 passengers on board while the lorry heading to Nakuru had two passengers.

According to witnesses, the accident occurred after the lorry swerved off the road as its driver tried to avoid hitting a fuel tanker from behind. In the process, the driver rammed the matatu from the right side.

The accident occurred a few hours after a 34-seater minibus rammed a personal car at Greensteds area along the Nakuru-Nairobi Highway, killing two people. Witnesses said the driver of the private car, who died on the spot, was attempting to overtake when the vehicle was hit from its side by the bus and rolled several times.

The survivors were rushed to St Mary’s Hospital in Gilgil and bodies transported to Umash Funeral home.

At Ngata, Fredrick Cherogony, whose house is situated near the scene of the accident, said he was heading home with his friends when he saw the speeding lorry almost hitting a trailer that was headed in the same direction.

 Serious Injuries

“It looked like the two drivers were challenging each other as they descended the long stretch at a curved section of the road,” said the witness.

He said the lorry driver lost control of the vehicle while descending the hilly section of the road and hit the matatu before dragging it off the tarmac road, then landed on it. Cherogony said it was likely the lorry driver was freewheeling while descending, hence could not control the vehicle.

Five people in the matatu who escaped with serious injuries were rushed to Nakuru County Level Five General Hospital while bodies were moved to Nakuru County public mortuary.

At the scene, blood-stained luggage including personal effects were strewn all over. The wreckages of the vehicles were towed to Nakuru Central Police Station.

Regional Traffic Enforcement Officer Mary Omari arrived at the scene but declined to talk to the media amid protests from residents, who accused the traffic department in the region of engaging in corrupt activities.

A woman, who was travelling in the lorry but survived, said the truck driver was sick and had sought treatment along the highway.

“I saw him take some tablets and after inquiring what the problem was, he told me he was feeling unwell. But before the accident occurred, I saw him straining a lot,” said the woman, who escaped with serious cuts on her face.

She said the only thing she remembered seeing at the scene of the crash were bodies strewn all over.