Tanker driver fined for careless driving

Asamankese (E/R), Sept. 6, GNA - A fuel tanker driver who carelessly drove into a stationary mini-bus, killing his own assistant and two passengers on the mini-bus, had been fined three million cedis. In default, Yamoah Asiamah, will go to prison for 18 months in hard labour.

Asiamah pleaded guilty to two counts of driving his Mercedes Benz fuel tanker without due care and attention and negligently and unlawfully causing harm to three persons who subsequently died. Presenting the facts of the case, Police Chief Inspector Osei Owusu, said around 0530 hours on May 17, 2003, Asiamah was driving his tanker with registration number AS 9643 N from Accra with his assistant, Emmanuel Kwadwo, on board.

On reaching a section of the road at Okurase junction near Suhum, he ran into the rear of a Mazda mini-bus number GT 9632 P driven by Mr Kwame Asafo, which had stopped to pick up passengers. The passengers in the mini-bus and the mate of the tanker suffered various injuries and were rushed to the Suhum Government Hospital but three of them, Afio Adi, 70, and Mercy Asiamah aged two years on the mini-bus and Kwadwo died on admission.