One dead, three injured in fatal road accident
A FATAL accident at a logging operation on Vella La Vella, Western Province has claimed the life of a truck driver over the weekend.
Three female passengers have sustained injuries with one serious.
A man from Malaita is dead after the tipper truck he was driving crashed onto a rock.
The driver who was claimed to be drunk at the time fell asleep when the unfortunate incident happened.
The accident occurred after the truck returned from one of the operation sites owned by Rima Logging Company which is located inland at the Quava Logging camp.
The Saturday afternoon run was to drop off fuel.
Reports obtained by this paper revealed the truck was on its way back after dropping off the fuel.
On their way back the driver felt asleep and was late to make an U-turn at one of the bends and as a result, the truck collided with a huge black rock.
Three female passengers were on-board when the accident happened.
As a result two of them sustained minor bruises while other women sustained serious wounds resulting fractured legs and hands.
The driver died instantly after being struck by the steering wheel.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The three women are from Eleoteve village.
They got a lift when the driver stopped along the way and picked them up.
The ladies were on their way to their garden.
The incident occurred around 4 pm on Saturday afternoon. No witnesses were at the scene during the accident.
It was when one of the company vehicles loaded with other workers owned by the company traveled along the road when they were shocked to witness the incident.
Police Officers from Gizo were called to the logging camp to investigate the accident.
A villager employed by the company said the driver has been consuming alcohol during working hours over the past two days and until he met his fate.
The employer who wants to remain anonymous said on the way the driver picked up thee three women who were walking to their garden.
“However, along the way, it turns out the women did not get off the truck to attend to their garden.
“Instead the women accompanied the driver all the way to the operation site to drop off the diesel tank before heading back.
“The unfortunate accident happen before the women were dropped off at their garden,” he said.
The seriously wounded woman and the deceased driver were later pulled out of the damaged truck after being stuck for several hours, he said.
Meanwhile, the deceased was transported by Gizo Police Officers to Gizo where his body was sent back to his home village on Monday.
The three women are receiving medical attention at the Maravi clinic.
By ULUTH GINA
GIZO NEWS BUREAU
