Four people in a tricycle, including a toddler, were hurt when a commercial bus lost its brakes descending the busy interchange.
Four people were injured on Tuesday morning when a commercial mini-bus whose brakes reportedly failed ploughed into a saloon car and a motorised tricycle on the Sofoline Interchange flyover in Kumasi.
The injured were all passengers of the tricycle, known locally as Pragia. They include the tricycle's driver and a baby of about one and a half years, according to an eyewitness who spoke at the scene.
How it happened
MyJoyOnline reports that the crash involved the mini-bus, a Toyota Corolla and the tricycle, and that all three vehicles were badly damaged.
The driver of the bus, Kwabena Boahen, said he was on a trip from Goaso in the Ahafo Region to Kejetia in central Kumasi when the vehicle lost its brakes on the descent from the flyover.
"I tried my best to control the vehicle but unfortunately could not," he said.
The bus then ran down the slope and struck the Corolla and the tricycle ahead of it.
Who was hurt
Mr Boahen said he had 13 passengers on board, and none of them was injured. Nobody in the Toyota Corolla was hurt either.
The tricycle took the worst of the impact. The eyewitness said it was carrying four people at the time, and all of them suffered injuries of varying degrees.
Passers-by and other motorists took the injured to the Suntreso Government Hospital in Kumasi for emergency treatment.
Traffic and police response
The wreckage blocked part of the road and caused a temporary build-up of traffic on the Sofoline-Abuakwa stretch, one of the busiest corridors in the Ashanti Region capital.
Officers from the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, the unit that handles road traffic cases, later arrived to direct vehicles and tow the damaged cars away so traffic could move again.
Police have started investigations into the crash. The source report does not say whether any charges are being considered or what the condition of the injured is at this stage.
Why it matters
The Sofoline Interchange is a major gateway into Kumasi and carries heavy commercial traffic daily, including long-distance buses arriving from the Ahafo, Bono and Western corridors. The flyover's slope means a vehicle that loses braking power has little room to stop safely.
For Ghanaians abroad who send relatives on intercity routes or who travel home through Kumasi, the incident is a reminder of how much depends on the roadworthiness of commercial vehicles. Brake failure, as alleged in this case, is a maintenance issue rather than a road design one, and it will be for the police investigation to establish what exactly went wrong.
