At least four vehicles have been involved in an accident at Achimota on the Accra-Amasaman Highway Monday morning.
The accident occurred around 7:10am after the driver of a tipper truck loaded with sand with registration number GR 4856-16, lost control and ran into a petrol tanker.
The truck which was heading to Ashaiman from Amasaman rammed into an empty petrol tanker in its way. The affected tanker also collided with a taxi and a private car in its path causing traffic to build up on that stretch of the highway.
Narrating how the accident occurred, driver of the Tipper truck, Godfred Awudi said his brake hose burst when he applied it upon descending a steep hill and all efforts to save the situation proved futile.
He said, “I alternatively used a low gear to slow down the loaded truck after the burst but the weight of the truck also affected the gearbox causing it to disengage. At this point, I was only left with the emergency handbrake which also unhooked after applying it. I had no option left than to run into the petrol tanker.”
The Ghana Fire Service and the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) were however quick to get to the scene to keep the situation under control after a distress call was placed to them.
The truck driver sustained minor bruises on his legs and no fatal casualties were recorded.
There were earlier reports of fuel spillage at the scene but the Station Officer for the Amasaman Fire Service Department, Mr. Agyakwa debunked the rumour.
He stated that, “Four cars were involved in the accident, a tipper truck, tanker, taxi and a private car. When we came to access the situation it was normal but traffic had built up.”
“An earlier report indicated that there were some spillage but when we arrived to access the situation we realized the reports we inaccurate. Instead, it was the water tank of the truck that had burst following the impact,” he said.
“In actual fact the tanker did not contain any fuel. It was an empty tanker,” he stressed.
The presence of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) until all four vehicles were towed away eased tension on the Highway.
Mr. Agyakwa advised car owners and drivers to keep the condition of their vehicles in check at all times as any malfunction of their automobiles may have an effect on their lives in several ways.
