Truck Driver Responsible for Train Accident Jailed 6 Months
Truck driver responsible for train accident sentenced to 6 months in jail. Stay informed on legal developments.
The truck driver responsible for leaving his vehicle on the Tema-Mpakadan railway line, causing Thursday’s train collision, has been sentenced to six months in jail.
Abel Dzidotor, aged 41, risks further penalties if he fails to present his driver’s license as directed by the court. The incident occurred during a test run of a newly acquired government train from Poland within the Asuogyaman District on April 18th.
Abel Dzidotor was convicted and sentenced on Friday, April 19, after admitting guilt to three out of the four charges leveled against him.
He was charged with inconsiderate driving and causing unlawful damage, among others.
Mr Dzidotor received a sentence of 100 penalty units, equivalent to a potential 20-month prison term if he defaulted after pleading guilty to the charge of careless and inconsiderate driving, a violation of Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 683 (2004), as amended by Act 761 of 2008.
On the charge of unauthorised stopping, he was sentenced to 20 penalty units, or a five-month jail term in default.
The third charge was for causing unlawful damage, contrary to Section 172b of the Criminal Offences Act 2960. He pleaded guilty and was slapped with a six-month sentence with hard labour.
The fourth charge was for failing to produce a driver’s license, contrary to regulation 47(2) of LI 21(80). Mr Dzidotor pleaded not guilty, asserting that his license was within the damaged vehicle.
Background
In a press statement on Thursday, the Ministry of Railways Development explained that as the train approached the curve at Km76+100, it encountered a stationary vehicle obstructing the rail track, resulting in the accident.
It said despite the immediate application of the emergency braking system, the train was unable to come to a complete stop before crashing into the truck.
The Ghana Police Service later announced the arrest of the driver of the Hyundai truck with registration number GS 9018 – 20.
Preliminary investigations established that Dzidotor left the truck unattended on the railway line, leading to the collision with the new Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) train.
Useful Links
