By Izunna Okafor, Awka
A man, identified as Barr. Okechukwu Ututu, has died in a tragic road traffic crash in Anambra State after hitting an abandoned spoilt vehicle in Anambra State.
The incident happened opposite the Diamond Pizza, off Aroma Junction, along the Awka axis of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.
This reporter, Izunna Okafor, who visited the scene of the accident, observed that the crash occured between a truck (with the registration number: SDA-327XA) and a Toyota Matrix (with the registration number: AKU-126AA).
Also observed was a spoilt truck loaded with iron rods and pipes abandoned along the road, as well as a shattered Toyota car that crashed into the gutter, just a few treks away from the truck. It was also observed that there were stains of blood on the crashed vehicle, purported to be that of the accident victim.
It was gathered that the victim died instantly, while her body was deposited to the mortuary, at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku, Awka, after he was confirmed dead.
Speaking in an interview with this reporter, a colleague of the victim, Mr. Sylvester Iwuoba, said the crash occured at about 11 PM on Sunday.
According to him, the victim, Late Barr. Ututu, suddenly rammed into the spoilt truck, which was abandoned along the road, hit the iron rods loaded in it, and crashed into the gutter.
While noting that the truck spoilt since Thursday and had been abandoned there along the ever-busy road since then; he also regretted that the owners of the truck did not put any caution signs to alert other road users that the vehicle is spoilt, coupled with the fact that the there is no functional streetlight illuminating that portion of the road where the truck was abandoned.
These, he said, make it difficult for any driver to clearly see the abandoned truck from far at night or know that it is not on motion, until they get closer. He also condemned what he described as negligence on the part of the various concerned authorities, for not evacuating the vehicle from such a risky place since when it was abandoned, and even till now that it has resulted in loss of life.
“I got a call early hours of this morning from my friend, telling me that my colleague, Ututu Okechukwu Ododo had an accident and he died immediately. From there, that he has been taken to the Amaku mortuary.
“And I came this morning, seeing the motor here, the truck here, loaded with some irons.
“On further investigation, it was gathered that the Road Safety team, who came yesterday to rescue him after the accident, were the the people who then put all these barricades you’re seeing here now, because I learnt that there was no single caution sign anywhere around here. And it happened that he died immediately,” he said.
Continuing, he said: “According to people who were here when it happened, he saw the vehicle suddenly. So, there was no way he could control his car anymore. That was how he died.
“And he died at the spot. The security man at the Diamond Pizza who saw when it happened even told us that this vehicle has been parking here since Thursday last week.
“So, I wonder why, on a very busy federal road like, that a truck like this has been parking for more than four days; and nothing was done to remove it; not even by the Road Safety, not even by ARTMA. That’s unfair. That is very bad.”
Speaking further, the visibly angry Iwuoba said, “My call to the government is for them to sit up. People cannot continue to be dying like this. Let the government be proactive.
“Let them come first and remove this vehicle from the road, to avoid another death.”
It was further gathered that the victim, who hailed from Egbengwu Nimo, in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, was about 37-year old and had a young family.
According to Iwuoba, the victim had his wedding ceremony on January 5 this year, while his wife just recently delivered a baby.
It was also said that the victim, who was the breadwinner of his family, was preparing for the burial ceremony of his 72-year-old mother, Mrs. Eunice Ututu, whose corpse is still in the mortuary, with her burial ceremony slated to hold on October 25, before his sudden death.
“The child is barely three months old. He married on the 5th of January this. And the mother is still in the Mortuary. The burial is fixed for 25th of this October. And now, he is dead. You can now imagine the pain on the family,” Iwuoba said.
Efforts by this reporter to get the reactions of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Anambra State Command, proved abortive, as the Public Relations Officer, RC Margaret Onabe, did not respond to calls and messages sent to her as at the time of this publication.
More photos from the scene:
