Four dead and 40 injured in road crashes

Four people died while more than 40 others were injured in separate road accidents across the country in the last two days.

In Taita Taveta, two people were killed after their bus rolled on Sunday. Twenty-seven passengers sustained injuries in the accident.

One person died on the spot while the other succumbed on arrival at the Moi County Referral Hospital in Voi.

Mwatate OCPD Francis Mwangi said two people had severe spine injuries.

Health executive Dr Frank Mwangemi said the county medical team was being helped by teams from the Red Cross and St Johns Ambulance.

A medic at the county referral hospital said they had received 26 survivors.

ACCIDENT

The ill-fated bus belonging to Royal Services Company was ferrying mourners from a funeral in Mghambonyi in Wundanyi.

The driver of the vehicle, who spoke to the police, said he was not speeding when the accident occurred.

In Nairobi, 13 people were rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital for treatment following a road accident on Waiyaki Way.

The Climax Bus was heading to the city from Bondo, Siaya County. The accident caused a massive traffic jam along the busy highway.

Whereas NTSA boss Francis Meja and the Nairobi traffic police boss maintained that those injured were seven, a spot check by the Daily Nation at KNH revealed that 13 passengers were admitted.

RUN OVER

In Embu, a three-year-old girl was run over by a motorist. The girl, identified only as Abigael, had accompanied her mother for shopping at Maathai Supermarket on Saturday evening when she walked outside as the woman packed her shopping.

A witness said the driver left his car and fled after the accident, leaving the child lying unconscious in a pool of blood. She died in hospital. Police towed the vehicle away.

Separately, four passengers are fighting for their lives at JM Memorial Hospital in Nyandarua after their matatu was involved in an accident on the Olkalou-Engineer road.

The public service vehicle veered off the road and  hit an electricity pole on Saturday evening. A victim, Mr John Mwangi claimed the driver, who was chewing miraa, appeared to be drunk.

DRUNK

“I boarded the vehicle at Wanjohi and the driver behaved as if he was drunk. We complained about speeding and reckless driving throughout the trip but the driver and his conductor insulted us,” said Mr Mwangi, who suffered injuries on the face and leg.

Police suspect that the vehicle was overloaded at the time of the accident.

Meanwhile, angry bodaboda operators in Malindi on Saturday burnt down a Simba Coach bus after it crushed to death their colleague on the Mombasa- Malindi highway.

IRATE RIDERS

The bus was heading to Malindi from Mombasa when the accident happened.

Malindi OCPD Matawa Muchangi said efforts to plead with the irate riders not to burn the bus were futile.

“They even pelted us with stones before burning the vehicle,” he said, adding that the body of the 23-year-old rider was taken to the Malindi hospital mortuary.

 Reported by Brian Ocharo, Lucy Mkanyika, Lilian Mutavi, Charles Lwanga, Waikwa Maina and Charles Wanyoro