Details of the course of the accident involving a Climax bus that left several nursing severe injuries have emerged.
According to eyewitnesses, the 63-seater bus overturned as the driver avoided to hit a boda boda rider along the Koru - Muhoroni road on Saturday, July 16.
Speaking to the press on Sunday, July 17, an eyewitness stated that the boda boda rider made an abrupt u-turn on the road as the bus was overtaking another vehicle along the Muhoroni Road stretch.
He further stated that the driver of the bus tried to avoid knocking down the motorcycle but lost control of the bus.
"The bus was moving at high speed when the driver lost control in a bid to save the rider. It then swerved off the road before rolling several times," the witness stated.
"I saw the bus slanting dangerously on one side before it overturned and rolled to the side of the road. We immediately rushed to scene to try and pull out the passengers," a second witness recounted.
According to Nyanza County traffic police boss, Mwangi Ng'ang'a, six passengers sustained serious injuries.
The six were rushed to the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Hospital in Kisumu for treatment while those with minor injuries were treated at the Muhoroni Sub-County hospital.
Police officers are working with members of the public to trace the whereabouts of the boda boda rider who is still at large. The bus was towed to the nearby police station.
The Koru section of the Muhoroni Road has was labelled as a black spot, with many motorists speeding on the stretch, taking advantage of absence of traffic officers on the road.
Statistics by NTSA released in June 2022 indicated that 1,912 people died in road carnages since January, with reckless driving established as the cause of majority of the accidents.
The authority further expressed fears over the increase in the number of accidents as compared to 2021.
In line with this, NTSA launched a road safety campaign dubbed the 'fatal six' to create awareness on behaviours by pedestrians and motorists that put them at risks while on the road.
The six include drunk driving, lane indiscipline, speeding, distracted driving, failure to wear a helmet by motorbike riders and failure to use available pedestrian walk and foot bridges.
