Accident

The other vehicle

On Thursday I was driving my landcruiser to Nairobi so that I could get my passport and finalized work permit, and so I could follow up on the registration of our football club with the attorney general's office.  Ironically enough I was talking with my friend JP about driving tests and other qualifications for driving in Kenya when we got into an accident.

We were almost reaching Kisii, going through a town center named Suneka.  I was driving slow since we were in a town center and was a reasonable distance behind the small car in front of me.  The other vehicle began to slow so I also reduced my speed, but suddenly the vehicle almost came to a complete stop.  I hit the brakes, but it was too late and I bumped the vehicle in front of me who had decided to turn, though he had forgotten to signal.  We were both going very slow and in fact we were almost stopped upon impact.  I didn't even skid at all because my speed was so slow.  Later I found out that the reason he slowed almost to a stop was because a motorcycle had turned right in front of him.  At such a slow speed with both of us hitting our brakes you would expect minimal damage and both vehicles to come to a stop.  That didn't happen.  After being hit, the other vehicle turned and actually accelerated.  He hit the motorbike in front of him and then accelerated even more into the patio of a building where someone was drinking his morning cup of tea more than 60 feet from the road. 

The building the other car ran into

I was shocked.  My only explanation for the other driver's reaction was that he panicked and hit the gas instead of the brake.  His airbags had gone off and that might have disoriented him. 



I jumped out to assess the damage.  The other driver was fine, but his vehicle was pretty much totaled from running into the building.  The two on the motorbike had small injuries (one on the arm and the other on his big toe) and were rushed to a nearby hospital. The tea drinker had some minor scratches, but was ok.  The side of the building had come crumbling down from the impact.  My vehicle was unscratched thanks to my cattle guard on the front. 

As typical in Kenya, a huge crowd came over to get involved shortly thereafter.  I thank God that the crowd was very calm and didn't get hostile like happens sometimes.  Many of them came over to me and said it wasn't my fault and that I shouldn't blame the other driver because he got disoriented.  Some blame definitely has to go to the motorbike driver for cutting him off and to the other driver for what happened after impact, but I know I caused everything since the person from behind is always to blame.  It was a pretty small thing that turned into something much bigger.



I called my insurance and the police, but no one showed up for over an hour so we walked up the road to find a couple of traffic police at a road block just out of town.  They came and interviewed several onlookers and assessed the damage.  After another hour of their investigating we were ready to go to the police station.  The only problem was that one of my tires had gone flat from a rusty nail.  After getting that fixed we proceeded first to the hospital to check on the two injured ones from the motorbike and then on to the police station.  All of us concerned recorded statements and went through other procedures.  I signed an "Intent to Prosecute" ticket for careless driving.  At first I was told I wouldn't be allowed to leave because my vehicle needed inspection and the inspector was until the next day.  After some pleading, they found another investigator who was able to help us (though not very competent).  Eventually, after about 6 hours they released me on cash bail and summoned me to appear in court on Monday morning. 

Pray for God's favor as I go to court on Monday.  Pray for a fair and honest judge that will be able to undnerstand the situation well and that I would be able to clearly and accurately describe what happened.  Also pray for things to be resolved speedily and efficiently so I can return to Mbita and get back to work.



the place where I hit him (notice how far the building is from the road)



My insurance will cover the damages to the other vehicle and I know the injuries sustained were very minor.  But sometimes you don't know how things will go in a country like Kenya.     

It was not a great experience, but I felt God's peace throughout the day.  It could have been much worse.  Thank God that no one died and there were no serious injuries.  I am thankful that my vehicle was unharmed.  I can also praise God that the crowd that gathered was very peaceful.  We also got a chance to get to know the other driver and several police officers who were interested in what I am doing in Kenya and even led to some conversations about God.  It was my first accident in 8 years of driving in Kenya, and if I am not mistaken, the first accident I have caused during the 20 years I have been driving (anyone is welcome to correct me if I have forgotten anything).