A Burkinabé truck driver narrowly escaped death on Friday morning after his 18-wheeler veered off the Accra–Kumasi highway in an attempt to avoid a head-on collision with a VIP bus that had made a wrongful overtaking at Odumasi, near Ohene Nkwanta in the Asante Akyem Central Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
The driver, identified as Guigma Moise, was transporting a heavy load of metal when the accident occurred close to the Rider Iron Steel Company. His truck, a Sino 18-wheeler, reportedly lost control and ran off the road after he tried to save the oncoming VIP bus from a collision.
Eyewitnesses say the driver sustained injuries and was rushed to the Hope Care Hospital for treatment. No other casualties were reported.
“He was the only one in the vehicle at the time,” a source at the scene told reporters. “He tried to save the VIP bus from crashing, and in doing so, ran off the road. It could have been a very tragic accident.”
Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) were quickly deployed to the scene to help clear the road and pull the trailer to safety, preventing further traffic congestion along the busy highway.
The incident adds to growing concerns about reckless driving and wrongful overtaking on the Accra–Kumasi highway, one of the country’s busiest and most accident-prone routes.
Police have since launched an investigation into the incident.