One dead, 7 injured as Mpigi residents raise concerns over increasing road carnage
Police are hunting for the driver who caused the accident. PHOTO BY SADAT MBOGO
MPIGI. At least one person died and seven others survived with injuries in after three cars crashed last night at Buwama Town Center in Mpigi District along Kampala-Masaka highway.
The accident occurred when the driver of a lorry (Fuso Box Body) that was carrying sacks of maize to Democratic Republic of Congo, registration number UAQ 154Z lost control, knocked a small vehicle (Noah model) number UAU 885P that was heading to Kampala, and eventually fell down after rammed into a sand truck registration number UAZ 357Z, that was parked on the roadside.
Police attributed the cause of the accident to the poor mechanical condition and recklessness by the lorry driver.
Mr Richard Wabwire, the officer in charge of road safety and traffic police at Buwama Police Station said the driver was speeding before he failed to brake.
He identified the deceased as Edrisa Ntulume alias Eddy, a turn boy and resident of Mukono Municipality in Mukono District.
Police are hunting for the driver of the lorry only identified as Moses Mutyaba, who allegedly caused the accident.
"He's now on the run after causing a fatal accident but since we got all the details about him, he'll be apprehended soon and be arraigned in the courts of law over carelessness and over speeding," Mr Phillip Mukasa, police Spokesperson in Katonga region said in a telephone interview with this reporter.
The body of the deceased was taken to Gombe Hospital mortuary for postmortem and by press time, the injured persons were receiving treatment at different town clinics.
Police towed the wreckage of the vehicles to Buwama Police Station for custody.
Police blamed
Residents blamed police for taking long to respond to their rescue call.
"The accident occurred at around 7.30pm and police could have a great chance of rescuing the deceased because he was down the lorry and was still talking. But since the police wrecker reached at the scene at around 10pm, he breathed his last before being pulled out from the wreckage due to their negligence," Mr Joseph Kawere, an eyewitness said.
"We are worried over the rising cases of road carnage in our area because this is the fourth accident and at least eight people have died in just two weeks. This is terrible! Indiscipline is slowly coming back on our roads. Government should heighten Fika Salama operations because they were helping us so much in reducing road accidents on Masaka road," Mr Ali Kisitu, a resident of Buwama 'B' LCI added.
