Worker bashed, abandoned
A ZAMBIA National Service officer has been accused of neglecting an accident victim who is nursing serious injuries after his light truck bashed the man over three weeks ago.
The victim sustained a fractured left leg in the accident which kept him in hospital for almost a week.
But the officer of Chamba Valley has denied having abandoned anyone and instead accused some people of assaulting his driver and conductor.
Narrating the ordeal to the Daily Nation, Dominic Mutale, who is an employee of Alinaswe Building and Road Construction Company Limited said he was on duty on Kasisi Road where he and his colleagues were putting road signage on May 29, this year when Major John Siwila’s vehicle hit him.
Mr Mutale explained that despite clear signs indicating that there were people working on the road ahead, the truck driver, whom he claimed was driving under the influence of alcohol, failed to slow down and bashed him before hitting into another truck belonging to AVIC International.
“From the day I was bashed up to now, Major Siwila has never shown up or called me to know how I am doing. As a matter of fact, I have never even seen him. He has not assisted in meeting any of my hospital bills and has never cared to know what my family is eating because I am the breadwinner.
“My family has borne it all. Efforts to engage him by my employers have also hit a snag as he claims he has nothing to do with the accident yet his driver almost killed me and ran away. He is even lying to the police that he has been in touch with my relatives when in fact not. “All I want is justice to prevail. I am in pain and not working because of the carelessness of his driver and there is no way he can run away from this,” Mr Mutale complained.
And Alinaswe director of human resource Smart Chewe said the driver had initially attempted to run away but that other road users blocked him.
He was ordered to drive the truck to Kabangwe police station where the case was reported but before reaching the station, he abandoned the vehicle and ran away. Mr Chewe said Major Siwila then sent another person who got the tipper truck without the consent of the police officers handling the matter.
He said company management had asked Major Siwila to help look after the patient, but he had insisted that he had nothing to do with Mr Mutale.
“We have tried to get in touch with him so that together we can meet the needs of the accident victim but he is not cooperating. From the time the accident happened, he has not contributed anything towards Mr. Mutale’s needs and has left everything in the hands of the company,” Mr. Chewe said.
And when contacted for a comment, Major Siwila said from what he had heard, it was clear that the victim was not telling the truth.
“I was not there but I was told that there was a minor accident and the same people who were working on the road assaulted my driver and his conductor. If they say I abandoned him, how did they get my number? Those people are not just telling the truth,” Major Siwila said.