•An accident scene
Two persons suspected to be university students in Bayelsa State have been crushed to death after a tipper truck collided with a tricycle along Tombia-Ammassoma road.
It was gathered that the accident which occured on Tuesday, also left some passengers in the tricycle critically injured, reports Daily Trust.
According to some residents of the area, the accident happened near a dangerous bend along the highway due to poor road markings and speeding.
They said the tipper truck was descending the slope at high speed when it lost control and rammed into the tricycle.
Godspower Okolo, a trader in the area, told journalists that the tipper driver was moving too fast, and by the time he tried to swerve, it was too late.
He said, “The Keke (tricycle) had no chance of escaping the danger because the tipper was already close to it. We’ve been complaining about reckless truck drivers on this road for years, but nothing changes.
“The dangerous impact left the tricycle damaged beyond recognition. Good Samaritans rushed to the scene, pulling survivors from the wreckage and transporting the injured to the Federal Medical Centre in Yenagoa. The bodies of the deceased were later evacuated to a nearby morgue.
“This incident has renewed calls for stricter traffic enforcement, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the State Police Command should intensify patrols, introduce speed breakers, and conduct regular safety checks on heavy-duty vehicles,” he said.
Another resident, Mrs. Ebike Ekain, said if the appropriate authorities did not act now, more lives would be lost to accidents in the nearest future.
Checks by our correspondent indicate that about 15 accidents have occurred in the Tombia–Amassoma in the last 18 months, most of them involving tipper trucks and commercial tricycles.
Police spokesman in Bayelsa State, DSP Musa Muhammad, confirmed the accident, adding that investigation was ongoing to unravel the cause of the auto crash.
