Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — It was a tragedy on Thursday in the Mile One area of Diobu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, when two electricity poles were knocked down by a construction truck, critically injuring an elderly man.
The poles, which were carrying live wires, crushed the victim’s spinal cord, leaving him unconscious.
According to eyewitnesses, the incident happened around 1:30 pm in Kalabari Street, formerly known as Udi Street, when the truck, which was conveying a heavy-duty diesel generator, sped into the street and hooked onto overhead wires, causing the poles to collapse.
An eyewitness identified as Sampson explained that the truck was speeding and ignored warnings from taxi drivers to slow down.
Sampson explained that the incident would have been more disastrous had there been electricity supply when the accident happened.
He said, “I saw that truck coming into the street with speed, some taxi drivers were even trying to stop him to slow down, but before we could know it the tall generator he was carrying went and hung those wires breaking two poles.
“After the first pole fell l, it dragged the second pole which hit an old man who was walking on his own at the back, everyone ran away.
“It was after some minutes that some men came and carried the man who had fainted on the ground and rushed him to the hospital, we don’t know if that man would survive or not.”
Another eyewitness identified as Obinna narrated that the weight of the electricity pole shattered the victim’s spinal cord, while three vehicles were destroyed by the fallen poles.
He added that the victim, whose identity remains unknown, was rushed to the hospital, and his condition remains uncertain.
“A jeep that was parked by the side of the street and two other cars were destroyed by the poles. We thank God that there was no light when this happened, otherwise you would have seen a different thing here.
“That man that the pole hit, I believe his spinal cord would be badly affected, I pray he survived,” the eyewitness said.
