Driving in fog: 17 injured in pile-up on motorway

MULTAN: 17 people were injured on Monday morning as 22 vehicles, including a bus and three trucks, ran into one another at the Multan-bypass of the motorway. Reduced visibility due to dense fog was blamed for the incident.

Two men taken to Nishter Hospital in Multan were reported to be in critical condition. They were identified as Nabi Bakhsh and Abdul Sattar. A Rescue 1122 official, Muhammad Usman, said their car had ran into a truck. Both had fractured a leg each in the collision, he said. The rest of the injured were given first aid on the spot.

According to Basti Malook police, the accident occurred when a truck apparently on its way to Bahalwalpur took a sharp left turn to enter a filling station near Adda Baseera. A bus behind it collided into the truck. This was followed by a pile up of vehicles including three trucks, a high-roof van and 17 cars. The truck blamed for the pile up reportedly drove away from the scene.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the bus driver said that the truck’s left turn was so sudden he could not apply brakes in time. “He did not give an indicator,” he said, adding that there were no reflectors on the back lights of the truck.

“The fog is so dense, I couldn’t tell if he had applied brakes or not,” he said. The accident may not have happened if the truck had reflectors on its back lights, said an official of the Motorway police. He said there was a need to educate people about precautions required during foggy conditions, adding that in the short run he could only suggest that people be careful and ensure that they had proper reflectors on lights. He said foggy conditions would continue for another two weeks, adding that heavy fog was expected in many areas from early morning till noon. He said drivers needed to ensure that they put on a reflector sheets on their vehicles’ rear.

Israr Hussain, an assistant sub inspector at the Basti Malook police station, said the accident was caused by fog.

“We can’t blame any of the drivers for it,” the ASI said. He said truck drivers frequently fail to take precautions required for driving during foggy conditions. He said these accidents could easily be avoided by conducting some training programmes.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 28^th, 2010.