Pay-loader crushes khebab seller to death (Back Page)

A pay-loader which was carrying a caterpillar grader last Sunday night crashed into a storey building at Santa Maria, a suburb in Accra, killing one person and seriously injuring four others.
The dead, a 25-year-old khebab seller, popularly refered to as Abochie Paul by neighbours, was said to have had both legs severed and an object stuck in his eye.
An eye-witness, Yaw Asiedu, said when the late Paul realised that his two legs where cut off after he had been pulled out from the pay-loader he asked whether it was a dream. Few minutes after he asked that question, Asiedu said Paul allegedly tried to commit suicide by hitting his head hard on the ground but was stopped by onlookers who conveyed him to the hospital where he later died.
Among the injured were the driver of the pay-loader, his mate and two passers -by at the time of the accident.
When a team from the Daily Graphic got to the crash scene around 8.30 am yesterday, the pay-loader with registration number GT 857 W and its front part was still stuck in the first floor of the building which housed a number of stores. Close to it was a blue-black BMW saloon car with registration number GW2252 T, which was badly dented.
A large crowd had also gathered at the accident scene making driving on that portion of the road which was a sharp curve and close to the Santa Maria Last Stop difficult. Among the crowd were owners of some of the shops which were affected by the accident.
In a telephone interview, the Commander of the Odorkor Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), ASP Felix Toya, said the driver’s mate whose condition had stabilised told the police that the vehicle suffered a brake failure.
He said the driver tried hard to control the steering but failed when the vehicle got to curve and, therefore, crashed into the building.
At the time of filing this report, the driver was said to be in critical condition at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Another victim, a young hairdresser, who residents said had her graduation party some hours before the accident, had all her front teeth removed in addition to a broken leg.
According to residents that portion of the road had seen a lot of accidents, some very serious.