Couple Dies In Saturday Night Crash
A husband and wife duo was killed Saturday night after their car was hit by an over-speeding vehicle near the Middle Star Shopping Complex traffic lights along Nyerere Drive.
District Traffic Officer, Superintendent Boiki Mojalemotho said the accident occurred at around 2200hrs. He said the mishap occurred when the victims’ car was hit from behind by the speeding Mercedes Benz.
“The Indian nationals married couple met its fate when the Toyota Camry they were traveling in was hit by a Mercedes Benz from behind [their vehicle],” Mojalemotho told The Monitor. “The two cars were both facing east and the accident occurred when the victims’ car stopped at the traffic lights to turn right into Nche Road.”
The traffic officer explained that the couple had been trapped inside the car as the two were seated at the back of the Toyota Camry.
The husband and wife sustained serious injuries because the impact was severe. They were certified dead by doctors upon arrival at Princess Marina Hospital.
Mojalemotho said the driver of the Camry, a 29-year-old man, survived with minor injuries. The police are still in search of the Mercedes Benz driver, who got away from the scene following the accident.
“Efforts are in place to locate the driver who is at large. On arrival at the scene, the police tried to locate the Mercedes Benz driver to no avail. We do not know why the driver decided to abandon the car and flee the scene following the accident,” he said.
“We are hopeful that we will be able to locate the owner of the car which will help us to establish and locate the person who was driving the vehicle when it was involved in the accident.” Mojalemotho, furthermore, said they suspect that something might have influenced the driver’s decision to get away from the scene or might have been nervous or in shock.
He went on to implore the drivers to plan their trips and avoid speeding off to beat the curfew that has been put in place to restrict movement.
Mojalemotho expressed concern that drinking and driving remains a problem even during the alcohol ban period.
“We do not know where people get alcohol from because we continue to record such cases even during the alcohol ban. We highly suspect that the Mercedes Benz driver might have been driving under the influence of alcohol and will soon hand him/herselves in,” he said.