Motorists and pedestrians along the busy Vaitele Road in Vaimoso were lucky to escape injury as a three-ton truck ploughed through two cars and hit another in a freak accident midday Thursday. 

The accident occurred on the opposite lane of the road not far from the Peace Chapel Primary School. The driver of the truck – which was heading towards Vaitele from Malifa – apparently lost control and hit two cars on the roadside and lunged onto the opposite lane to hit a Ford Ranger pick-up before knocking down the crossing light and came to a stop.

According to witnesses, a woman who was a passenger in a taxi who was initially hit was taken to hospital.

The driver of the Ford Ranger pick-up, who was furious after his vehicle was damaged, told Samoa Observer on the condition of anonymity that he could have avoided the truck but that meant endangering the lives of two pedestrians.

“There was a lady and a school girl who was crossing the road when the truck came into the lane I was going. I could have avoided the truck but that would have meant hitting the two,” he said. “I think the driver who is a young bloke was driving pretty fast when he did not realise that there was a traffic build-up around the school because there is a crossing here.

“He hit me and then went on to the footpath where he hit the poles which have the blinking lights near the crossing. It was very lucky that the two pedestrians crossing the road were unharmed.”

The teachers at Peace Chapel Primary School said they were in class when they heard a loud noise. They said they came out and saw the two cars and the truck coming to a stop.

This newspaper also found out that one of the vehicles in the crash which was badly damaged was just bought on Sunday.

Police were quick at the accident scene and managed to effectively control traffic on the busy road as the schools were about to finish and many parents were rushing to pick up their children.

The driver of the three-ton truck was taken to the police station for questioning.