Killer Driver Gets Three Years

EMMANUEL QUARSHIE, the driver of a Man Diesel tipper truck which crashed a mechanic driving a VW vehicle to death, has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment in hard labour by the Ashaiman Circuit Court presided over by Tsatsu Yao Azumah.

Quarshie, who was later found to have been drunk on Tuesday, lost control of the steering wheel, veered off his lane and ran into the VW vehicle with registration number GE 261 X which had parked on the shoulders of the road to pave way for him.

This led to the death of the driver of the VW vehicle, a certain Kobby, a mechanic who worked in a fitting shop at Kakasunaka Number, an Ashaiman suburb.

The deceased was said to have left the shop, after fixing a fault on the vehicle, to test it before handing it over to its owner when he met his untimely death.

Eyewitnesses had a tough time retrieving the body of the mechanic which got trapped in the completely damaged car. He was reported to have died instantly when the tipper truck run over him.

Quarshie, according to Superintendent Ansong-Denkyi, the Tema Regional Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), rushed to the Emef Estate Police station, where he reported himself.

He was arrested and later transferred to another police station where he was remanded until his appearance in court yesterday.

Emmanuel Quarshie, who was in charge of one of the trucks with registration number GT 7653-11, belonging to Erdmac Company Limited, a construction company, pleaded guilty with explanation before the court.

He admitted to being drunk at the time of the accident and explained that the night before the accident, he took two tots of ‘Alomo Bitters’, a local brand of an alcoholic drink, to enable him to eat well. He said he failed to brush his teeth the next day before setting out for work, adding, that was why his alcohol level was high when the police ran a check on him.

Quarshie, according to the prosecutor, Chief Inspector Prosper Yao Aheto, clocked 2.01% instead of 0.08%; a situation which compelled the police to quickly process him for court after seeking advice from the Attorney General

He was sentenced to three years and in addition fined GH¢1,800, and in default, he will spend 26 months in jail.