Government has assured of footing all medical bills of all the victims injured on Monday after a tipper truck crashed into the Accra-bound tollbooth on the Tema motorway.
Roads and Highways Minister, Kwasi Amoako-Atta said the government’s primary concern is to take care of the victims on admission.
“Government is prepared to take care of the bills. They [those injured] were at the tollbooth premises, and they were involved in an accident. We shall sort it out”, the Minister told the media.
Mr. Amoako-Atta further indicated that another area of concern for the government is for a probe into the accident and that based on its findings, additional safety measures will be put in place to protect lives at tollbooths nationwide.
“What concerns us and what concerns the government is for us not to lose any of them and do whatever we have to do to save their lives. Our primary concern is to see to their health, we will not shirk our responsibility. I can assure their families and the people of Ghana.”
One person died, and five others were seriously injured as a result of the crash.
The truck rammed into one of the booths on the Accra-bound side of the highway when a vehicle had stopped to pay the toll.
The deceased was Isaac Koomson, a 56-year-old cleaner with a hearing and speech impairment. After sustaining severe injuries to his legs and hand, he was later confirmed dead at the Tema General Hospital.
Two other victims, who were occupying a salon car that was hit by the tipper truck before it crashed into the tollbooth, were also severely injured.
The driver of the truck, who was earlier arrested by the police, is also said to have sustained some injuries alongside one tollbooth attendant who reportedly had some minor cuts on the face.
Tema Regional Commander of the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department, Chief Supt. William Asante, told Citi News that information he had received is that a “vehicle had stopped to pay the toll and then the tipper-truck driver carelessly ran into the booth.”
“This is the result we are witnessing now. It is a serious accident, but not fatal. Some people have sustained varying degrees of injury and have been rushed to the Tema General Hospital”, he added.