CCTV footage capturing the tragic accident that killed one at the Mlolongo toll station along the Nairobi Expressway has emerged.
In a video seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the accident appears to have been caused by speeding on the part of the deceased driver who approached the toll station at a very high speed.
The driver appears to have been doing supersonic speeds – even after hitting the slowing bumps before the station, the car continued to speed into the awaiting vehicles – and hurting an officer manning the toll.
At the 10.16p.m time stamp, all three payment stops were occupied by vehicles. The speeding vehicle on the inner-most lane lost control, ramming into a personal car.
Seconds after the carnage, a vehicle was tossed in the air, hitting the toll booth on the oncoming lane, before landing on a vehicle being served at the revenue collection point.
Four tyres are seen flying towards different directions, one on the far left of the town-bound exit, another to the far left of the exit and two others landed next to the toll stations.
According to police reports, the driver of the speeding vehicle died on the spot while two passengers in the speeding car sustained serious injuries.
Other persons including the toll station attendant and occupants of the third vehicle were rushed to the nearby hospitals where they received medical attention. The wreckages of the vehicles were ferried to the Athi River police station.
The Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) announced a temporary closure of the station. Meanwhile, works have begun to repair the damaged section of the station.
Speaking on the accident, Government Spokesperson Cyrus Oguna raised concern about the spike in road carnage on Kenyan highways attributing them to the disregard of speed limits by drivers.
“The crashes are attributed largely to drivers ignoring speed limits. Nairobi Expressway, for instance, has a speed limit of 80Kph and below which is clearly displayed at intervals along the expressway,” Oguna stated.
He cautioned motorists using the Expressway are urged to adhere to the recommended speed limits further disclosing that measures to curtail speeding on the elevated highway were being put in place.
This is the second accident on an expressway exit in as many months. On May 29, a lorry swerved and hit a pole at the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) exit, revealing some design flaws in the road.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE
