Six people are nursing serious injuries at Michael Chilufya Sata Hospital after their vehicle was involved in an accident along Mpika-Kasama road.
The accident happened after the driver of a Mitsubishi Pajero failed to give way to an ambulance which was rushing a patient to Micheal Chilufya Sata Hospital.
Zanis reports that Muchinga Province Police Commissioner, Chola Katanga has confirmed the accident which happened in Chitulika area.
Mr. Katanga said the Ambulance hit onto the rear part of the Pajero which was turning right.
He said the accident involved Micheal Sikalangwe 42, of Location Compound who was driving the ambulance and Lydia Muma, 35 also of Location Compound who was driving a Mitsubishi Pajero.
Mr. Katanga said the driver of the ambulance escaped unhurt while his passengers sustained body injuries and are admitted in hospital.
He identified the accident victims as Roseria Mwaba 35, Geoffrey Kaluba 44, Priscovia Mulenga 16, Memory Lesho 39 and Anneta Mwaba 59 all of Mpika.
The Police Commissioner said that the Mini Pajero had no passengers on board but was carrying several empty 10 liters cooking oil containers in the back seat.
Mr. Katanga added that the driver of the Mitsubishi Pajero also sustained body injuries and is also admitted to the same hospital.
He said the Toyota Land cruiser ambulance has incurred a damaged front part while the Mitsubishi Pajero Mini has an extensively damaged rear part
Sad
Heeesh so the patient being rushed to hospital for injured? Fyakubantu!
the way ambulance drivers behave sometime you can fail to give way….the chap after overtaking will be smiling…
Even if you are driving an ambulance you need to exercise caution other vosamwa bcoz you are driving an ambulance those are the end results.No job is so important that it cannot be done safely.
If Zambia had a serious movie and arts industry, someone would make a movie about this. Prayers for all the injured. God ( Jesus ) is Zambia’s true King.
Am working on a script already but funding yatuvuta. Please help us.
The news item talks about passengers in the ambulance and no patient bein rushed anywhere. You only yield to an ambulance in an emergency not one doing lifts!!
Iwe Mango. You have to know why they call me Kanjimaano.
Can’t you deduce that the 16yr old was the patient in question.
I personally had similar incident with some reckless ambulance driver. I sued the company end Attorney General because the police don’t seem to know much about these situations. I was handsomely compensated by the company and government. Ambulance drivers must be care not to endanger other road users even when in an emergency. That is what the ruling was. So my friend just sue.
I concur with all those blaming ambulance drivers for being reckless on the road. They should exercise a lot of caution when passing other motorists in an emergency. Most of them throw away caution thinking they have right of way without checking that other motorists are giving them way. I witnessed this on Great North Road last Friday. They need to be trained again.
An Ambulance with a Siren On should be given priority, all other traffic participants should stop and pave the way for the Ambulance. An ambulance without the siren on, follow standard traffic regulation just as any other traffic participants.
With this basic rule, I don’t see any reason for a general condemnation or blaming of ambulance drivers.
General kanene you have hammered the the point. If no patient in the ambulance we are the same but with patient ulemu. OK naikonda iyo.
Life is precious.The ambulance drivver never committed any offence. People know that an ambulnce with a sireen on should be given way.Unless the woman in the Pajero had some unknown agendamshe could not have gone right infront of an ambulance.It is common sense that ambulances carry critically ill people and require emergence attention. No one is allowed to block an ambulance unless they did not go through driving lessons and passed.
Well it is unfortunate this happened and it is regretable that people were injured. MAY GOD COME THROUGH FOR ALL OF THEM.
@ josphat the ambulance driver MUST not ENDANGER other road users whether it is an emergency. He is suppose to still be cautious at all times. Being in an emergency doesn’t mean being RECKLESS because you endanger even the very patient you are rushing to hospital for medical treatment. The is ruling in favour of a motorist who was involved in an accident with an ambulance driver.
You only go when it is safe to do so whether the police or ambulance or fire fighters.If it is not safe ,drive like an ordinary car but sound the siren so that learners and stupid drivers know your intentions.Book them if they resist and they will pay a fine.This is a basic procedure
I have noticed that most ambulance drivers lack defensive or evasive driving when faced with danger. They drive as if having the right of way is fool proof protection from consequences of an accident.
One may have the right of way but die as if they had the wrong of way (Dale Carnegie).
The system has to invest into training these drivers. kind of transforming them from everyday drivers.
Some ambulance drivers just switch on the serine and rush (over speed ) just to beat traffic even if they are not carrying any patients. This accident should be investigated to assertain if those people who were in the ambulance were patients or not.
Talking with experience, I have been an ambulance driver for the past nine years. The rule is the patient and yourself as a driver your safety first no matter what. But probably people with little experience and over confidence risk their lives by overspeeding jst because they are on an ambulance. The ambulance is a well equipped vehicle so we need to take proper caution so that the patient is safely delivered at the hospital. The most inexperienced ambi drivers are those in GRZ. Also to all drivers always be alert and be on the lookout for such vehicles, that’s why a vehicle has 2 side mirror.
This is bound to happen in so many areas of the country, abulance drivers behave like they are onto some drug or something. They need to be seriously oriented, they are a threat to the patients they carry and the general public. They need to be patient with the motorists to give them way.