Concerns mount about hike in road accidents in Haiti

The dump truck was full of gravel and rubble that was part of the debris from the massive earthquake that struck two years ago, media reports stated. (Photo: nation.com.pk)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Wednesday January 18, 2012 - The volunteer medical organization - Doctors without Borders – said vehicular accidents has outstripped violence as the main cause of patients seeking emergency care at public health facilities here.

It said more than 300 road accident victims are received weekly in the three hospitals in Leogane, Martissant and Drouillard.

The disclosure followed the death of at least 29 people in a vehicular accident on one of the capital’s busiest streets Monday night. Some 56 others were injured.

Nadia Lochard of Haiti's Civil Protection Office said the driver lost control of his dump truck when the brakes failed causing it to crash into a small bus then onto the busy sidewalk outside the national television headquarters. The sidewalk is often crowded with street vendors.

“It totally destroyed everything in its path,” said Frederick Alexis, a freelance photographer. “It got the BBQ chicken lady, the fritay vendors; motorcycles, cars,” he told The Miami Herald.

The dump truck was full of gravel and rubble that was part of the debris from the massive earthquake that struck two years ago, media reports stated.

President Michel Martelly, who along with Prime Minister Garry Conille rushed to the scene of the accident, has appealed to Haitians to exercise caution when travelling on the roads. Click here to receive free news bulletins via email from Caribbean360. (View sample)