Police officers in Taro, Choiseul Province are currently investigating a traffic accident at Bukukuana logging camp, in North-West Choiseul, Choiseul Province on 9 January 2018.
The vehicle involved in the accident is owned by New Venture Limited, a logging company operating at Bukukuana and was driven by an overseas employee of the Company when the accident happened.
Taro Police received a report on the accident on the same day and attended the scene with a doctor from Taro Hospital and started initial enquiries.
“It is alleged that the driver of the vehicle was heading back to the logging camp after dropping off workers when the deceased jumped onto the trailer of the land cruiser,” says Staff Sergeant Taura Sibwere, the Provincial Criminal Investigation Officer (PCIO) Choiseul Province.
“It is further alleged that as the vehicle was travelling along the road with the driver in the cabin and the deceased sitting at the back on the trailer, the driver accelerated as they approached a sharp bend when the vehicle veered off the road. It is alleged that the deceased was thrown off the vehicle while the driver remained in the vehicle.”
The deceased died at the scene of the accident while the driver has been admitted at the Taro Hospital with injuries and is in a critical condition.
Staff Sergeant Sibwere says: “This is a sad incident with the loss of a life and another in a critical condition. I call on the family members and relatives of the deceased to allow the Police to continue with its investigations and assist with whatever information that they have on the incident.”
“I further call on logging companies and their management to seriously take into consideration the condition of their vehicles and to ensure they are roadworthy and also advise their employees to drive safely given the state of the roads at these logging camps, ” says Staff Sergeant Sibwere.