How Aboboyaa May Have Caused Okankor Road Crash That Killed a Dozen People

• The National Road Safety Authority is probing whether a broken-down aboboyaa set off the chain of collisions at Ofankor Barrier on the Accra-Nsawam Highway
• Seven vehicles were involved in the early-morning crash, which left 22 others injured and receiving treatment at various hospitals
• NRSA's Senior Planning Manager Felix Owusu said authorities are awaiting a full police report before confirming how the accident unfolded

The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) is investigating whether a broken-down tricycle, commonly referred to as an aboboyaa, triggered the multi-vehicle collision at Ofankor Barrier on the Accra-Nsawam Highway that claimed 12 lives.

The crash, which happened at approximately 4 a.m. on Thursday, August 13, took place along the stretch between the Ofankor Barrier and the John Teye enclave.

Seven vehicles were involved in total: two tipper trucks, two Sprinter buses, two saloon cars and the tricycle. Twenty-two people sustained injuries and are currently being treated at various hospitals.

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According to preliminary information gathered at the scene, the tricycle had reportedly stalled on the road.

A sand-laden tipper truck stopped behind it, and two passenger-carrying Sprinter buses subsequently halted behind the truck, creating a stationary queue of vehicles along the stretch.

Felix Owusu, Senior Planning Manager at the NRSA, said a separate tipper truck then approached the line of vehicles at high speed and ploughed into them, triggering a series of further collisions that resulted in heavy casualties.

He also noted that the incident occurred near a curve, which may have restricted the approaching driver's reaction time.

"From the little we have gathered, there was a stationary tricycle, or what most people call an 'aboboyaa'. There was a tricycle which had broken down," Owusu said, speaking on Citi FM.

NRSA Awaits Full Police Report

Owusu was careful to stress that the emerging picture of events should not be taken as the confirmed cause of the accident.

He explained that most of the information available to the authority at this stage came from bystanders at the scene rather than from those directly involved.

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"As I said from the beginning, all that we are hearing are accounts given by bystanders, and so we don't want to rely solely on that," he said.

He added: "We are waiting for the police for a full report that will tell us what exactly happened and how each of the subsequent accidents or crashes occurred."

The NRSA said it would also seek accounts from surviving drivers and passengers as part of its efforts to establish a complete and accurate picture of how the crash at Ofankor Barrier developed.

Gospel Agochukwu involved in serious accident

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that a Port Harcourt pastor asked his congregation to pray for him over a disturbing dream on Sunday, and hours later, he was pulled from the wreckage of a road accident.

Pastor Gospel Agochukwu, founder of Shekinah Arena Gospel Ministries in Port Harcourt, had told his congregation during Sunday service that he experienced a troubling dream the night before.

He said he had spent the entire night in prayer because of it, yet the unease did not leave him, prompting him to ask church members to join him in intercession before the service ended.

Source: YEN.com.gh