Driver Recounts Horror Road Crash that Claimed Nyeri Governor Wahome Gakuru's Life
The driver to the late Nyeri Governor Dr Wahome Gakuru has opened up on the circumstances that led to a fatal road crash that claimed Gakuru's life.
Speaking to the Standard on his hospital bed on Wednesday, Samuel Kinyanjui narrated how the horror accident that occurred at Kabati area along Thika-Kenol highway unfolded.
Kinyanjui sustained minor injuries from the accident and is currently recuperating at Nairobi Hospital.
He recounts governor Gakuru shouting "God" moments before the crash happened and how he watched helplessly as the governor, trapped in the wreckage and groaning in pain for over 40 minutes seeking assistance.
"We were late but the governor told me not to speed because it was raining and the road was slippery. I was driving around a speed of between 105 and 110 kilometres per hour," he said.
However, hell broke loose when one of the rear tyres burst. "...but as I slowed down and was steering the vehicle to the side, I realised that a lorry which was behind me was approaching at a high speed. I had to swerve suddenly to avoid the lorry which was trying to overtake me," he recollected.
He said he deliberately directed the vehicle towards the guard rail, with hope that it would stop the car and walk out safe. This is after realizing a lorry trailing them from behind would hit their car if he stopped on the road.
"I thought if I hit the guard rail the car would stop. I feared that if the lorry hit me from the rear, it would push us into the middle of the road and cause a multiple cars accidents."
However, the impact of hitting the guardrail deflated his airbag, blocking his view. The impact made his foot push on the accelerator pedal, pushing the Mercedes E250 further into the guardrail.
“I don’t understand how the guard rail got into the car,” he said.
Kinyanjui was working at Nyeri County Referral Hospital before he was hired by the governor's office as a driver. He had only driven the county boss for two weeks.
“The seat was stuck, we tried even breaking the window so that we could get him out (governor),but we were only able to do that when a lorry stopped and gave us a rope that we used to tie to the seat and rip it off,” Kinyanjui recalled, adding that the Governor was seated at the front seat, and had to wait for 40 minutes to be rescued.
“I was doing about 105 and 110 and the governor was comfortable with the speed and told me to maintain it since it was raining,” he said.
The governor died while receiving treatment at the Thika Level 5 hospital.
Comments
It is sad. Very sad. It was…
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It is sad. Very sad. It was not the drivers duty to control the lorry behind him. A rear tire burst is nothing to a speeding Benz. It is equipped with transmission safe drive mode. All the driver needed to do is to steer the car straight, gently step on Blake's and put Harvard on. Although break lights were sufficient. Rain alone does not make road slippery ... snow and mud do that. The dirver' s experience is very important. Tyre burst? I don't buy that. But now that it has happened and the Governor is dead, NO blame game will heal all the affected. Rest in peace... learned Gakuru.
These kind of accidents…
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In reply to It is sad. Very sad. It was… by Wanjambimail (not verified)
These kind of accidents happen within split second. We do not have snow in Kenya, why would you talk of snow on our roads. Let's wait for the investigation from benz dealers and Pirelli the tire makers. Kameme should be held culpable for the loss of HE Gova wa Nyeri. I wonder why he had to be invited to Nairobi instead of them (Kameme) going to Nyeri. We have idlers to do the TV and Radio shows in Nairobi - the likes of Wamatangi, Linturi, Omar hassan etc
We also don't have mud in…
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In reply to These kind of accidents… by Moses Kuria (not verified)
We also don't have mud in Thika highway. Do lose focus and get distracted by your mindset. Mercedes Benz behavior is not confined to just your scope.
This driver is inexperienced…
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In reply to It is sad. Very sad. It was… by Wanjambimail (not verified)
This driver is inexperienced and he was driving a governor at a high speed to a point he asked him to slow down. That they were late he says, late for what! To go bash Raila on Kameme TV? Leaders should only travel when necessary and not at high speeds. Remember people elected you so exercise caution all the time. Wahome personally picked this guy to drive him so I sense no foul play. Instead lets do something about guardrails cos that is unfortunate, something should be done NOW to avoid this from happening again. Even Princess Diana was being driven in a benz when she died. Mercedes Benz at the end of the day is just car. RIP.
RIP Dr. Wahome. The speed…
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RIP Dr. Wahome. The speed the Driver was doing is about 68 miles per hour. Thats a high speed in rain. Even if it was a Benz, Controlling a car in rain and at a high speed gets compromised.
The driver is in control, so he should have driven at a slower speed, even if he says the governor was comfortable with the speed.
He should have also engaged hazard lights to warn other drivers as he slowed down.Driving 101.
That is about 68 miles per…
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That is about 68 miles per hour but what is the speed limit on that section of the road. Most likely the driver panicked when the tire ruptured and lost control of the vehicle. Just as @Wanjambimail said modern vehicles have technology to take care of that. A friend of mine bought tires in Pep Boys as he was driving on the highway 2 tires fell off. He saw them rolling to the bush. The good news is that he was not hurt and his car got a small dent
Was Kinyanjui a driver at…
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Was Kinyanjui a driver at the Nyeri County Refferal Hospital? May be he was a new driver. Luck of good driving experience can also be a factor in controlling the vehicle during that split second of the unexpected. Rest In Peace Dr. Gakuru.
Very sad.I have had those…
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Very sad.I have had those rear Tyre busts three times, Prado, Corolla, Pajero. The trick is stay calm and steer the vehicle slowly off the road. We cannot reverse this tragedy. RIP governor and good and quick healing to the injured.
from my perspective i wonder…
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from my perspective i wonder should we trust the driver or the eye witness,personally i blame the road network having a 2 way road is always risky when overtaking other motorist as noted by both the Witness and the Driver there was anther motorcar that caused tension to the driver and as a result he swarved way off the curb hitting the rail. To accomodate safety on the side of road, they should have atleast a car lengh distance from the white line to accomodate such events. Actually this should be law implemented KTSA.
*WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE A…
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*WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE A TYRE BLOWOUT*
There are 6 simple steps to take within a maximum of 2 minutes and you will be safe, these by the grace of God I have been familiar with for decades. They are as follow:
(1) DON'T PANIC in the event of a blowout, calm yourself down fast because your car will start misbehaving and you need to take charge.
(2) Hold FIRMLY to your steering wheel with both hand, NO VIGOROUS TURNING, as you concentrate on the road and your mirrors, in seconds study the movement pattern of the car. Your car will naturally swerve to the direction of the burst tyre.
(3) Take off your foot from the accelerator, DON'T EVER ATTEMPT TO PRESS THE BRAKES, IF YOU DO, YOU HAVE A 95% CHANCE OF A SOMERSAULT. The car will decelerate gradually while you concentrate on the road to avoid collision with any other road user.
(4) Disengage the gears of the car by shifting to neutral (N) as you still maintain a firm grip on the sheering wheel and put your eyes on the road.
(5) After a while depending on your initial speed, your car come to a speed less than 60km/h when it is now safe to GRADUALLY apply the brakes and navigate to the side walk
(6) Ultimately, it is now safe to put the car to a complete stop and turn off the engine. You have just saved yourself and passengers from untimely death.
NOTE:
Of course, everyone in the car will be in a panic mode BUT this is NOT THE TIME TO LISTEN TO THEM, it is TIME TO CONCENTRATE.
Please, don't just read, share on your page and copy to other platforms, you may just be about to save a life.
Thanks!
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In reply to *WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE A… by Wanjambimail (not verified)
Thanks!
Speed kills, speed limit on…
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Speed kills, speed limit on thika Highway is 80 kmp. RIP Governor.
The family needs to file…
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The family needs to file compensantion against the guardrails. They are there for protection. The driver tried to use them but they turned to be the cause of the death!
He was driving at 110km/hr…
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In reply to The family needs to file… by James Mayenga (not verified)
He was driving at 110km/hr instead of 80km/hr. Where is the personal responsibility? That is 30km/hr over accepted limit not forgetting it was rainy and poor visibility
R.I.P. Governor. Comfort to…
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R.I.P. Governor. Comfort to his family, friends, and associates. As the days go by, it's important to try and make sense of what happened so it doesn't keep happening. Just wondering whether there was more the driver could have done to avoid this.
First, how come he did not mention the bodaboda which was mentioned by a few witnesses?
Second, 68-70MPH when it's raining plus the road is narrow just doesn't seem like good judgment on the driver's part. Even if mheshimiwa had told him to maintain that speed, it was still his responsibility to drive at a slower, safer speed. 70MPH in a wet, slippery road even in the best roads is simply poor judgment and does not allow for enough reaction time in the event something happens.
Third, Mercedes E250 is equipped with stability control even in the event of a tire burst. This is an expensive car designed specifically to carry VIPs so its built to maintain stability even during blowouts. Driver simply panicked because of his high speed.
Fourth, vet vet vet. What was this driver's driving record? What was he doing before being hired by the governor? Has he ever handled this type of vehicle before? Has he driven on this road during rain before?
Fifth, there are too many guardrail horror accidents in Kenya. Time to do something about them. Governor's family can fast-track this change by bringing a lawsuit against the transport authority.
Unfortunately, its too late now. I guess these are questions to ponder over...
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