TIPPER TRUCK KILLS WOMAN, INJURES 2, DESTROYS CAR (Graphic Nsempa....Page 20)

By George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.

THE industrial community of Kaase, a Kumasi suburb, was on Thursday evening thrown into a state of anguish and mourning when a tipper truck alleged to have had a brake failure crushed a young woman in her early 20’s to death, smashing her head into pulp and killing her on the spot.
The deceased, who was only identified as Vivian, was a susu collector and was on her usual rounds of collecting the daily contributions from her customers when the tipper truck, with registration number AS 7023 Y, hit and dragged her along the road before smashing her into a VW Golf saloon car, with registration number GR 668 F.
After smashing into the saloon car, the two vehicles fell into a gutter with the truck on top of the salon car causing extensive damage to the Golf car. The two occupants in the car miraculously escaped unhurt.
Before then, the truck had knocked down a female teacher and a middle aged man who also sustained various degrees of injury and were rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) where they were admitted.
The body of the susu collector has been deposited at the KATH mortuary for autopsy. The driver of the tipper truck and his mate took to their heels immediately the accident occurred and the police are hunting for them to assist in their investigations.
An eyewitness, Mr Christopher Akowuah, told Graphic Nsempa that around 5 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2007, he saw the tipper truck descending at a terrific speed from the Abattoir road towards Atinga Junction on the Kaase road. He said he suspected that the truck had a mechanical problem because the driver was making frantic efforts to inform the motorists ahead to give way.
He said in an attempt to manoeuvre his way through the traffic ahead, the truck crashed into the saloon car, dragging it into a nearby gutter and completely damaging it beyond repairs.
According to Mr Akowuah, at that time the deceased was walking on the pavement so the truck hit her, dragged her along and smashed her head in the process killing her instantly.
He said the truck also hit a female teacher and a middle aged man who were also walking on the pavement and added that just after the accident, the driver and his mate managed to escape before the police arrived on the scene to investigate the accident.