Samba Joof, a police officer attached to the Serrekunda Traffic Annex, yesterday, testified before the Bundung Magistrates Court, on the ongoing case concerning a car accident which claimed the lives of two people and left many injured along the Bertil Harding Highway.

Testifying before Senior Magistrate Kumba Sillah-Camara, Police Officer Samba Joof, informed the court that in December 2007 whilst on duty at the Kairaba Traffic Lights with Sergeant 199 Camara, “we received a tip-off that there was a serious accident between Kairaba Traffic Lights and Kotu”. Accordimg to him, the two of them left for the scene and upon arrival, drew a sketch plan of the scene in the presence of the accused, Abdoulie Ndure.

According to Samba Joof, two of the victims involved in the accident were confirmed dead and three were hospitalized.

At this juncture, the death certificates and the sketch plan of the scene were tendered in court and marked as exhibits.  Magistrate Sillah-Camara then adjourned the case to July 15, for PW2 to be cross-examined by the defense counsel.

Unimpeachable sources infromed the Daily Observer that two people have reportedly been confirmed dead and many injured in Farafenni, in the wake of last Saturday’s windstorm that struck most parts of the country.

Confirming the story to the Daily Observer, Lamin Kebba Jammeh, the NAM for Baddibu Illiassa, said  one of the deaths was a fisherman, who had his boat capsized by the storm.

According to the Illiassa parliamentarian, the other deceased died after some blocks from the walls of his house fell on him. He said the wife and children of one Bakary Sonko in Farafenni also sustained injuries, when the windstorm hit their house.

He added that a room of the Farafenni Police Anex and the newly built Immigration offices were also affected by the windstorm.

In Illiassa, Hon Jammeh added, the storm has displaced many families and called on disaster relief organistions and samaritans for help.

Reports also disclosed that the storm has caused havoc in Baddibu Salikenni, North Bank Region.

Organistions and samaritans willing to help can call 990 2289 / 706 6670.

In what is seen as the saddest news dogging the 9thedition of International Roots Festival, an accident on Monday, 2ndJune 2008 resulted in the death of Musa Krubally, a staff of Gambia Tourism Authority (GTA), while Assan Cham and Sulayman Baldeh, Red Cross volunteers, suffered injuries.

The accident is reported to have happened around Njaba Kunda, North Bank Region (NBR) while the International Roots Homecoming Festival entourage was heading to Janjanbureh where a related occasion was scheduled to take place.

According to eyewitness accounts, the vehicle that the late Musa Krubally was using somersaulted due to faulty wheels, causing his death on the spot as a result of head injuries.

The Association of landmines' victimes in Ziguinchor stands up for the rights of landmine victims.One man was killed and 20 passengers injured when a bus drove over a landmine near the village of Lefeu, 70km north of the Casamance capital Ziguinchor on 1 May police said.

The Gambian registered bus was driving the passengers north from Bignona 30km from Ziguinchor towards the Gambia according to Talla Diop, an officer with the Ziguinchor police force.

A Senegalese army officer who wished to remain anonymous claimed the mine was laid by rebels with the Movement of Democratic Forces for Casamance (MFDC), to protest the Senegalese army reinforcing its position in the area.

Youssouf Coly, resident of a nearby village, agreed. ''I am convinced it is the rebels who have laid this mine and they are targeting the army," he said.

Talla told IRIN the mine must have been laid recently since the road has relatively heavy traffic and many cars had passed that morning. This is the second landmine incident this week. On 27 April a Senegalese soldier was injured by a landmine near the frontier of Guinea-Bissau. According to non-governmental organisation Handicap International, landmines have killed or injured approximately 1,000 people in Casamance since 1990.

In September 2006 a staff member of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was killed by a landmine on the same stretch of road.

The MFDC rebels say they are fighting for an independent Casamance, although many civilians in the isolated province say they are no longer interested in separating from Senegal.
 
Violent incidents continue to take place in violation of a December 2004 peace accord. Local observers in Casamance have said they are concerned about an upsurge in violence in recent months after a period of relative calm in late 2007.

Following the sudden deaths of two people, namely, Anti Bobb and Jim Jobe, with four people injured in a serious car accident along the Coastal Highway, between Kairaba Traffic Lights and Kotu BB Junction in KMC on December 10th 2007, one Abdoulie Ndour, a truck driver, was yesterday charged at the Bundung Magistrates’ Court, presided over by Senior Magistrate Kumba Sillah-Camara in connection to the deaths and injuries.

The four injured were Yusuf O Azeez, Rockey Jeng, Ousman Boye and Nafisatou Kolley.

Abdoulie Ndure was charged with three counts of rash and negligent driving causing death and serious injuries contrary to Section 221 and Section 222 of the law.

The particulars of the offence stated that, on December 10, 2007, between 8.00 - 8.30 along the coastal highway between Kairaba traffic lights and Kotu BB Junction in the KMC, Abdoulie Ndure was driving a motor vehicle with registration number: BJL 2414E, in a rash and negligent manner, thereby causing the death of one Anti Bobb.

Count two stated that on December 10, 2007, between 8.00 - 8.30am along the coastal highway, between Kairaba traffic light and Kotu BB Junction in the KMC, Abdoulie Ndure was driving a motor vehicle with registration number BJL 2414E, in a rash and negligent manner thereby causing the death of one Jim Jobe.

Count three also indicated that on the same day, place and time, Abdoulie Ndure drove a motor vehicle BJL 2414E, in a rash and negligent manner, thereby causing serious injuries to Yusuf O Azeez, Rockey Jeng, Ousman Boye and Nafisatou Kolley.
     
When the charge sheet was read to him, he  pleaded not guilty to the charges levied against him.

At that juncture, Police prosecutor, Sergeant 1042 Kujabi, applied for an adjournment to enable him bring his witnesses in court.

Magistrate Kumba Sillah-Camara then granted the application and adjourned the case to May 7th for continuation.

A terrible carnage occurred in Kembujeh Village, Kombo Central, on Sunday night, when a truck ran into a group of people who were heading home after a political meeting in the village of Serekunda-nding killing eight on the spot. Two others, who were critically injured, died hours later upon arrival at the RVTH, bringing the total to ten.

Minutes after the news of the carnage spread, hundreds of people stormed Brikama Health Centre, where the victims were first taken in order to be identified by their loved ones. The ten dead persons are identified as Alieu Ceesay, Maimuna Ceesay, Isatou Badjie, Malang Camara, Lamin Sanneh, Lamin Manka, Adama Camara, Bintou Sowe, Fatoumata Camara and Titi Darboe.

According to hospital sources, three of those rushed to the RVTH were discharged yesterday morning. Seven, according to hospital sources, are currently admitted at the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital, having sustained multiple fractures.

The truck driver is currently at large as he fled the scene a few minutes after the incident but his apprentice is being held at Brikama Police Station helping the police in their investigations.

A member of staff at the Brikama Health Centre lauded the efforts of Brigadier-General Lang Tombong Tamba, the Chief of Defence Staff for providing fuel for four ambulances involved in carrying the victims to the RVTH.

“Without his intervention, we would have suffered as the ambulances were without fuel to conduct the excercise,” a staff of the Brikama Health Centre.

“Secretary of State Abdou Kolley, who was at the Brikama Health Centre, also provided fuel for one ambulance. We must commend the many others who also assisted us,” said another staff of the Brikama Health Centre.

Red Cross volunteers who escorted the dead and injured to the RVTH commended Dr Tamsir Mbowe for being on the spot to direct operations efficiently and calmly.

“Dr Tamsir Mbowe is really worth his salt. I was impressed with him,” one of them said.

We all like to think that we are good drivers; unfortunately, in many cases, this is simply not true. Driving is defined as the act of controlling and steering the movement of a vehicle; this sounds easy but to do it properly takes skill. Sadly, many people have not learned that skill because they were never taught correctly.

Learning to drive is not just a case of sitting with someone who has a license and watching what they do and then having a go yourself. If the person teaching has bad habits, they are passed on to the student and the poor driving continues.

I see "Driving School Cars" making the most basic errors and displaying poor driving techniques whilst teaching pupils to drive; this cannot be acceptable and standards must be set before anyone can become a driving instructor or the poor driving will continue.

Pedestrians or other road users may be seriously injured or killed if we drivers make an error of judgement. Unfortunately, many drivers that we must rely on - taxi drivers and mini bus drivers - show a lack of respect and courtesy for their passengers who have trusted their wellbeing to that driver.

They are supposed to be professional drivers who should set the standards but are some of the worst offenders; they can be seen overtaking where there is a solid white line, overtaking on bends where they have poor visibility or they pull onto or off the road without checking if it is safe to do so. Breaking these rules can have catastrophic results and a serious accident is a high probability.

There are very simple driving techniques that can prevent an accident or injury and, over the next few weeks, I will describe ways that can reduce accidents and keep people safe on the roads.

Children are the most vulnerable on our roads and parents must teach them basic safety rules and explain why playing at the side of the road is dangerous. In this first article, I will deal with children and the role parents have to play in ensuring their child’s safety on the road.

In this country, a child is injured every day; sometimes it is a small injury from which the child quickly recovers but there are times when children die. It is not always the fault of the driver but, invariably, he (or she) is blamed; in the case of a fatal accident, the driver will have it on his conscience for the rest of his life. In many cases, it is the parent’s fault as they have not explained to their child how to cross a road safely - so let us remedy that straight away.

Simple rules for crossing the road

• Stand at the side of the road where you can see and be seen; if you cannot see the car, the driver cannot see you.

• Look left, then right and then left again.

• If the road is clear then it is safe to cross.

• Walk - do not run - straight across the road until you are safely on the other side.

Children should not play at the side of the road as a vehicle cannot stop as quickly as a child can run into the road; many children get badly injured as they run after footballs or other items. Parents, you must explain these simple rules or your child could be killed.

Drivers have an important role to play; when going past schools or hospitals, through rural villages - in fact anywhere where pedestrians, especially children, may be present - please keep your speed down. It is a fact that, at 32 km per hour, nine out of ten pedestrians involved in a collision survive; at 50 km per hour, half are killed and, at 65km per hour, only one in ten survives.

The simple lesson is that speed kills so please KILL YOUR SPEED AND NOT A CHILD.

The Speed Limit going past schools and hospitals is 25km per hour; it is 30km per hour through most villages and built-up areas. Remember that to stop safely and effectively, you need good tyres, good steering, good brakes and good concentration; the failure of any one of these could result in a fatal accident.

Drive safely and considerately and we will all get home safely; it is better to arrive five minutes late than not to arrive at all. The last thing the police want to do is knock on your door to tell you your child or loved one has been involved in an accident or, worse, killed in an accident; so reduce the probability of that happening and DRIVE CAREFULLY.