At least seven people are nursing critical injuries following a road accident that occurred at the Kinungi blackspot along the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway.
The accident occurred on Tuesday, December 10, after a seven-seater passenger vehicle ferrying people toward Nakuru City lost control and hit an oncoming lorry.
While confirming the crash, St John Ambulance announced that it had dispatched a first aid team from Kinungi Highway Community to attend to the injured. The Nakuru County Ambulance team later transferred them to the Naivasha Hospital for further treatment.
“7 passengers have this morning been injured after their Van (Noah) collided head-on with a Lorry in the Soweto area along the Kinungi blackspot, Nairobi – Nakuru Highway,” read part of the statement by St Johns Ambulance.
Heavy traffic snarl-up along the Nakuru-Nairobi highway after a road crash at the Kinungi blackspot on Tuesday, December 10, 2024.
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St Johns Ambulance
“St John First Responders from Kinungi Highway Community First Aid Post have attended to the injured on site and handed them over to Nakuru County Ambulance team,” the statement added.
The accident, which took place at around 5 a.m., resulted in a huge snarl-up along the ever-busy highway. However, moments later, police officers arrived at the scene and helped clear the traffic.
In the videos and images shared online, the lorry was partially damaged on the front side. Meanwhile, the passenger vehicle had broken windows and damaged tyres, depicting the extent of the accident.
The Kinungi accident comes a week after five people lost their lives along the same highway in the Subukia area. The accident, which took place on Tuesday, December 3, occurred after a trailer ferrying logs of wood lost control and hit pedestrians.
The trailer rolled several times before landing in a ditch. Residents who were on high alert quickly arrived at the scene and helped to retrieve those who had been trapped under the wreckage.
Footage of the scene obtained by Kenyans.co.ke showed a team of rescuers removing the bodies of the pedestrians from the dismantled trailer as other residents watched from a distance.
Commenting on the road crash, locals expressed concerns about an increase in road accidents along the section of the highway, they further called on the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to intervene.
Statistics by NTSA indicate that this year saw more fatalities and serious injuries among motorcyclists, pillion passengers, and pedestrians. Between January and November, 4,047 people died from road accidents, compared to 3,726 during the same period last year.
In 2024 there was a total of 20,369 accidents, compared to 19,262 in 2023. Among these accidents, there were 10,124 serious injuries, up from 9,059 last year.
NTSA road safety compliance checks within Machakos town on March 31, 2024.
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NTSA