Maryland County — Police in Maryland County, Southeast Liberia have charged a commercial motorcyclist with reckless riding, leading to the death of the Chairperson of the Grand Kru County Council of Chiefs Matthew Tweh.
Tweh was confirmed dead by authorities at the JJ Dossen Memorial Hospital in Harper City.
The late Chief Tweh was a resident of Po-River, Grand Kru County.
According to the police report, the tragic motor accident occurred on Saturday, June 11, 2022, around Gbolobo Bessiken at about 3:55 PM when the late Chief Tweh and his daughter were returning home from Pleebo on a commercial bike.
Police say a green DAF Truck belonging to a local businessman in Pleebo identified as Edward McIntosh was moving on the right side of the road near a junction entering the Maryland Oil Palm Plantation (MOPP) when a 22-year-old commercial motorcyclist identified as Philip Gray decided to overtake the truck on the same side, but fell to the ground, leaving the late Tweh’s two legs broken instantly, but his daughter and the bike rider sustained minor injuries.
Chief Tweh lost his two legs on the spot and was subsequently rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Police have since held the cyclist liable for the accident and charged him with reckless riding, consistent with Section 10.4 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law of the Republic of Liberia.
Though the truck driver was acquitted of any offense, the CEO of the McIntosh Trucking Service has promised to underwrite the cost of the deceased’s burial.
This paper also gathered that the late Chief Tweh age 69, was a father of 17 children, including 10 males and seven females.
He was a diligent, hardworking and long-serving chief. He served the Government of Liberia as Clan Chief from 1995-2000; Paramount Chief from 2000-2019 and subsequently appointed as Chief Wing in 2019, a position he held up to his death.
Meanwhile, his death has brought to three, number of persons who died from accident-related accidents recently alone on the Grand Kru roads.
On June 6, 2022, two persons died after a crash involving a GVL vehicle and a motorcyclist.
Sources who went on the scene of the incident narrated that a 26- year-old motorcyclist and his 28-year-old passenger, whose names were not disclosed collided with a truck believed to be from GVL around Newaken Community, in Grand Kru County, which led to their death. Editing by Jonathan Browne