Two persons
were crushed to death at the wee hours of Saturday when a speeding trailer lost
control and ran into a residential house at Port Harcourt-Airport Road,
Igwuruta-Ali, near Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital. The trailer belonging
to a dominant indigenous cement manufacturer was fully loaded with cement and
was heading to Port Harcourt when the unfortunate accident happened.
An eye-witness, who gave his name as
elder Chikwe, told Sunday Sun at scene of the incident that the trailer was
speeding when it suddenly lost control, brushed another trailer with
registration number Bayelsa XE 653 BRC parked by the roadside. According to
Chikwe, conductor of the parked trailer whose name he gave as Sunday Aririuzo,
was in front of the trailer topping oil in the engine when the vibration of the
collision lifted Aririuzo and smashed him at the side of the road. He died on
the spot.
Thereafter, the speeding trailer ran
into a building at the side of the road, broke through the front store and ran
into an apartment. The conductor of the trailer was said to have died while the
driver survived with injury. Occupants of the apartment, Mrs. Victoria
Amaehule, and her nine-year-old daughter, Faith, who were lucky to be alive,
told Sunday Sun how they miraculously escaped death. Victoria said she was
awakened from a very bad dream.
According to her, she tried to ignore
the dream, but a paralyzing cold suddenly gripped her. She became afraid and
took her nine-year-old daughter from the room to another apartment. Not quite
20 minutes they left the room when the accident occurred. She said two front
tyres of the trailer rammed through the spot they had left.
It would be recalled that barely five
months ago, a speeding tanker loaded with petrol fell at Igwuruta at a
roundabout and burst into flames, a living camp was set ablaze and six persons,
including a family of four sleeping in their rooms were roasted, while several
buildings were burnt.