A trailer conveying goods have reportedly crushed a two-year-old child to death along the Rumuosi area of the East/West Road in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State on Saturday night, April 22, 2023.
An eyewitness said the truck driver who was on a high speed lost control when he approached the Rumuosi junction due to gridlock.
According to the eyewitness, the driver was trying to avoid ramming into many people when it climbed the median, fell on one side and crushed the toddler in the process.
He disclosed that the mother of the deceased and two other children were injured and were rushed to the hospital.
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“You know this federal road always has traffic gridlock at the Rumuosi junction. The man (truck driver) was on speed and he could not apply the brake. So what he did because of the speed was that he climbed the walk-over (median),” the witness narrated.
“If he went straight he would have crushed all those people by the side. So he used his steering and climbed the walk-over. There were people too inside the walk-over, some mothers and children. So as they heard the trailer lost control and people were shouting.”
“They ran to one side, but the trailer now fell on the walk-over. All the goods it carried poured out. From there, the trailer fell on one side hitting the mother and the children. But only the two-year-old boy died.”
He added that after the incident, the driver immediately fled the scene for fear of being mobbed by residents and passers-by.
Spokesperson for the State Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, who confirmed the incident, said that investigation was ongoing.
“We are aware of the incident. It is very unfortunate. We are on the trail of the driver that ran away to ensure he is arrested. So investigation is ongoing to that effect,” she added.
