An 18-year-old boy identified as Martin Toby died and five others including a driver were injured after their vehicle overturned in Torit Town in Eastern Equatoria State on Monday.
According to officials, the vehicle which was speeding rolled over three times leaving the driver and his five passengers injured. One of the passengers later died after being referred to Juba Teaching Hospital.
First Lieutenant Adam Satiro, a traffic police crime officer in Torit, told Radio Tamazuj Wednesday that the ill-fated vehicle had just been repaired at a workshop and was being tested on the road.
“On Monday afternoon I receive a phone call that an accident had happened along Labalwa Road near the checkpoint,” he explained. “The car was from a garage and it was being tested and there were six people inside. They were on a very high speed and that is what caused the vehicle to overturn three times leaving three hurt and the other three critically injured.”
“We took them to the hospital for treatment,” Lt. Satiro said.
Meanwhile, a medical officer at Torit State Hospital, Changa Thomas Oker, one of the passengers died due to a skull fracture after being referred to Juba Teaching Hospital.
“One of the accident victims died. He was brought in on Monday with a broken head, a skull fracture that penetrated up to the brain tissue,” he explained. “We referred them to Juba together with the driver who was also not stable. Unfortunately, the other boy who had a skull fracture passed on. The other four are stable and are here in the ward.”
“The one who passed on is called Martin Toby, 18, and the driver is called Martin Illam, 19,” Dr. Oker added.
For her part, Rose Marcelo, a women activist in Eastern Equatoria State, expressed sadness over the accident and urged the relevant government institutions to enforce traffic rules and regulations to stop speeding.
“It is sad. People are always talking over the radio and educating riders and drivers to be careful. The government, especially the traffic police, need to come up with measures to control speeding like installing speed bumps.”