Passenger dies over 20 pesewas change

Razak Abdul Salifu, a 35-year-old commuter, died instantly at Ashaiman, near Tema, when he fell from a vehicle he was hanging on to demand a change of 20 pesewas.

The deceased, who resides at Newtown, a suburb of Ashaiman, was said to have had an argument with the driver, William Owusu, over the actual change due him after paying the fare, and so when he alighted he decided to hang onto the vehicle to put pressure on the mate for the 20 pesewas as he thought he had been cheated.

However, the driver spitefully sped off with the victim hanging onto the vehicle’s driving mirror. He reportedly fell off the jerky ride, thereby knocking his head on the road.

He died shortly and his body was deposited at the Tema General Hospital before the corpse was released to the family for burial.

The driver was said to have reported himself to the police at the Ashaiman Division of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service was asked to assist with investigations.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Afari Kwame Gyasi, Commander in-charge of the Ashaiman MTTD, confirming the incident to DAILY GUIDE,said that the driver narrated to the police that the incident occurred on February 7, 2015 at about 10:45 pm when the deceased boarded his vehicle from the Madina Lorry Park in Accra to Ashaiman.

According to him, it was a case of the driver and his mate intentionally sitting in the empty vehicle, creating the impression that they were also commuters; and as it was getting full with real commuters, they (driver and his mate) got down – as some drivers and their mates often do.

DSP Gyasi indicated that the deceased became offended and started hurling insults on the driver and decided to vacate the front seat he initially on and occupy a seat on the first row behind the driver.

On arrival at Ashaiman, all the commuters alighted except the deceased, according to DSP Afari Kwame Gyasi. He said he went and held the driver demanding for his change and this, he said, prompted some drivers at the Ashaiman main lorry park who saw the action and rushed to the scene.

The MTTD commander said the driver decided to move the vehicle while the deceased held on to the driving mirror and fell down in the process.