Eyewitnesses allege a man died when a fuel tanker slammed into a house along Nchoroiburo – Ruiri road in Meru County.
Eyewitnesses alleged the lorry hit a house in Ruiri village after first being involved in a crash not far from the house.
Firefighters evacuated part of the neighborhood and police were called to help with the fuel spill. A passenger was taken to a hospital after jumping out of the moving lorry before it crashed.
Eyewitnesses allege the lorry driver apparently lost control after hitting a speed bump when the brakes failed and struck two trees in the apartment’s driveway before slamming into the house.
“The lorry swerved off the road and knocked down a tree after hitting a speed bump. It then crashed into the shop. At the same time, burglars were stealing from a nearby stall fled. The driver was killed instantly, and another passenger jumped out of the moving lorry before it crashed,” said an eyewitness.
“My heart skipped a beat and I became speechless around 3 a.m. when I heard a tremendous bang. When I went outside to see what had happened, it was dark and misty, so I couldn’t see anything well. Later, I discovered that a lorry had crashed and that there was a large crowd on the scene. People came up to me as they called out my name to see if I was okay,” said Julia.
“The fuel delivery truck was driving uphill when it lost its brakes. When it crashed into the shop, there was a cloud of dust everywhere, and we screamed as we asked the tenants to flee their houses avoid being burned to death in anticipated explosion,” said Nkatha.
“We appreciate the prompt response from the fire and rescue team, which was called by a volunteer. When the cops arrived, they barred people from approaching the fuel-splattered scene. The conductor was the only passenger to survive, and he made it to the scene on foot. He was taken to the hospital and treated for his injuries,” said Nkatha.
Nkatha thanked God for protecting the tenant who was inside the house when it was slammed.
“Numerous accidents have occurred along the Nchoroibro road, resulting in the deaths of many people. A motorcyclist was killed after being hit by a car just over three months ago. A pedestrian and a dog were killed in a separate accident involving a lorry,” said Makena.
An eyewitness claimed that a child had been killed earlier in a lorry accident near the scene. He claimed that just as the wreckage of the lorry was being taken away, another accident occurred.
Joseph Riungu, owner of the destroyed damaged house, urged the authorities to replace the community-built soil bumps with modern bumps.
“We filed a police report for the thousands of shillings in damages to the house. Engineers should designate the location for the bumps,” said Riungu.
Riungu called upon members of the community to refrain from stealing items in the event of an accident to avoid a curse that could result in an unforeseeable future.
