Joe Gidisu consoles bereaved family of toll booth accident victim

Mr Joe Gidisu, Roads and Highways Minister

The Minister for Roads and Highways has visited the bereaved family of the toll booth attendant Thomas Opoku, who was crushed to death when a 40-foot articulated truck travelling from Takoradi to Tema shattered the toll booth on the dawn of Sunday.

The driver of the truck, Imoro Tanko, died on the spot but the other toll both attendant manning the Cape Coast to Takoradi side of the booth, whose name is given as Alfred Koranteng, sustained serious injuries and is receiving treatment at the GAPOHA hospital in Takoradi.

The Beposo toll booth is located approximately 200 metres away from the bridge overlaying the Pra River. The road slopes from the bridge towards the toll booth and surface of the road is quite undulating, Joy News' Western Regional correspondent Kwaku Owusu Peprah said.

Officials of the Highways and the National Road Safety Commission have blamed the accident on over-speeding.

The Western Regional Director of the Road Safety Commission, Bismarck Boakye, said police officers at a barrier several metres from the accident spot would have been killed if they had not fled for their lives upon seeing the truck.

The Roads and Highways Minister, Joe Gidisu, has already proposed the relocation of the toll booth as its current location makes it prone to accidents.

“We are very sorry for the situation,” he told Kwaku Owusu Peprah.

The deceased left behind a wife and two children.
Two officials from the Highways Authority have temporary been collecting tolls at the booth.

Story by Kwaku Owusu Peprah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana