Several escape death in Paynesville

Several persons narrowly escaped death when a 40ft. container onboard a truck conveying assorted goods dropped-off at about 8:30 A.M. on Monday, April 4 at the densely populated Red Light-Gobarchop intersection in Paynesville.

Assorted food items onboard the container included rice, oil, tomato, cube, and salt, owned by a local business merchant. Eyewitnesses narrated to this paper that the driver of the commercial container truck with license plate TT-1436 lost control and the vehicle’s right tyers rolled into a big dish, causing it to fall.

They disclosed that though there was no death, but several persons sustained injuries, while escaping the scene and were later treated at a local clinic. Prior to falling on the ground, the heavy duty truck rested on twin light poles of the Liberia Electricity Corporation, bending them on one side.

One of the injured individuals, Ms Doris Johnson, a business woman, who sells cooked food, said she could have instantly died along with other bystanders, but the poles prevented the container from falling on them.

She explained that she and her friends sustained wounds on their hands, legs, and faces, while running from the container. Ms. Johnson expressed fear that if government continues to allow container trucks to move in congested areas, they could destroy many lives and properties, not that they lack safety equipment such as back-up forklifts to accompany the vehicle to its destination.

She also observed that the container truck did not have good light, which caused it to fall after jumping into the ditch. Meanwhile, the victims are calling on central government to restrict the movement of heavy duty trucks in the densely populated Red Light business enclave to save lives and properties.

The movement of containers in the Paynesville suburbs of Monrovia is on the increase especially, during serious human and vehicular congestions. It may be recalled that in 2011, a 40ft container truck fell in Red Light market, Paynesville, killing a 11-year-old child, who got trapped onboard a commercial bus on which the container felled.
Several other container accidents had occurred in central Monrovia, Bushrod Island, Gardnerville and other parts of the capital, resulting to deaths and property damage.  

By Emmanuel Mondaye-Editing by Jonathan Browne