It was a close shave with death for three members of the first family, President Jerry John Rawlings, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings and one of their daughters believed to be Ezanetor, their eldest child, last Sunday night. Indeed, very, very close.
As the lifeless body of Lance Corporal Ewun-Tohma was pulled from the badly-wrecked Mercedes Benz E Class (E320) - one of three cars escorting President Jerry Rawlings and his wife, who were in a flashy two-seater red convertible Jaguar sedan, with their daughter in a following convoy at about 5p.m. - tears trickled down the face of the First Lady.
Those tears of joy might be her expression of gratefulness to God for saving the first family and other members of the presidential convoy in an Opel sedan, GR 5927 A, and an Audi sedan, GR 1217 A, from the fatal accident that could have ended more lives; and tears of sadness for four sons of the state who perished in an accident that need not be. By the time the badly-mangled Mercedes Benz had its door sides split and the other victims dragged out, Corporals Boateng, Aboagye and Kumashie had, together with Lance Corporal Ewun-Tohma, left the world of the living.
Three of the dead were in military attire with one in mufti. The driver of the Benz escorting the President, however, was saved, though with serious injuries and damage to his legs and waist. Likewise, was the driver of a shiny wine-coloured Toyota T100 Four-Wheel Drive Pickup heading towards Accra, which was also badly damaged beyond repairs after the Mercedes Benz escorting the President, crashed head-on into it on the Tema-Accra lane of the Motorway.
The impact was fatal: it thrust both cars up, with the Mercedes smashing out of the freeway and the Toyota landing on the middle section of the two freeways, leaving the four soldiers dead. The drivers driving the Toyota T100 Pick-up was also saved. Both drivers suffered serious injuries on their lower parts (legs and waist), with both suffering visible bone fractures.
Earlier eyewitnesses, who pulled out the victims, say the driver of the Toyota T100 also complained of serious chest pains after being pulled out of the wreckage. The Army Commander, Lt. General Henry Smith told GTV Sunday evening that the two were recovering. The Chronicle gathered he might have been saved by his car’s airtight airbag. The President suffered minor physical cuts on one of his palms. The First Lady was physically unhurt, but she could not help shedding tears. The unregistered Jaguar being driven by the President had its boot slightly dented.
The car was hit by the Mercedes Benz moments before the crash. A young lady identified as a member of the first family, and said by many to be Ezanetor Rawlings. and other soldiers in the Opel and Audi escort sedans escaped unhurt. The fatal accident occurred on the Accra-Tema Motorway during President Rawlings trip to Akosombo for what sources say was meant to be a weekend retreat. The President was driving his wife in the red Jaguar, which has a brown tarpaulin cover. Five of his bodyguards were in the Mercedes Benz while the others were in an Opel and Audi saloon cars.
According to the President, a Toyota Urvan using one of the numerous unapproved routes and lanes onto the Motorway crossed their path in a bid to cross to the Ashiaman side of the Motorway. In the process, it forced the President’s convoy to hit the back of the Jaguar, but the President managed to direct his car onto the right side of the pavement Accra-Tema lane.
Unfortunately, the impact shot the escort Benz through the pavements between the freeways, thrusting it into the Toyota T100, which was heading towards Accra on the Tema-Accra lane. The result left four citizens of the state dead, with car parts littered all over that part of the motorway. Attempts by President Rawlings to stop the irresponsible driver from escaping the scene of the accident, failed.
He did not stop to attend to the accident victims, despite what earlier eyewitnesses say was a warning shot fired by the President to stop him from fleeing. He sped off the runway into the Ashaiman area and was gone in a flash, said three eyewitnesses - a tanker driver and two mates - who were among the first to pull out the dead on the orders of the President.
The scene was so ghoulish, President Rawlings, a man famous for his courage, was numbed for some minutes after the crash. So were the first few persons to arrive on the scene, who were equally shocked beyond comprehension. “My brother, it was only when the old man asked “nye fee noko, nye kwe amen lo (won’t you do something instead of looking at them)” that we realised that we have to save the situation”, said the tanker driver to the Chronicle.
The President, visibly worried and agitated, later reiterated his complaints against the numerous lanes and access way to the Motorway to GTV and TV3. The President left the crash site later in a car with his wife and escorts. At about 6:15pm, his car was towed away. He had earlier sent message through State Protocol to secure his car since it contained “very important items”.
The victims had earlier been flown off to the 37 Military Hospital, Accra, in a Ghana Air Force helicopter for treatment. Meantime, latest reports indicate that the runaway driver has been arrested and is in custody at the Cantonments Police Station. President Rawlings has meanwhile paid tribute to the four bodyguards who lost their lives on Sunday, saying they were the best bodyguards he has ever had.
