Court jails truck driver 6 months for causing train accident

Abel Dzidotor, the driver responsible for the fatal train accident on the Tema-Mpakadan railway line on Thursday, April 18, has been sentenced to six months in prison.

Dzidotor pleaded guilty to three of the four charges brought against him, leading to the sentencing.

Dzidotor admitted guilt to charges of careless driving, causing damage without authorization, and stopping without permission, according to Citi News’ Benjamin Aklama. He was sentenced after the court found him guilty on these counts.

Dzidotor was initially accused of reckless and irresponsible driving, which is against Section 3 of RTA Act 683 (2004) as amended by Act 761 of 2008. He was given a sentence of 100 penalty units, which, if unpaid, could result in a 20-month jail sentence.

The second offence was stopping without authorization, which was against Section 19 of Act 683 of 2004 as amended by Act 761 of 2008. Following his guilty plea, Dzidotor was sentenced to 20 penalty units, with an additional five months in jail if the fine remained unpaid.

According to section 172b of Act 2960, the third charge—causing unlawful damage—was violated. Dzidotor was sentenced to six months of hard labour after he acknowledged his guilt.

On the fourth charge of failing to produce a driver’s licence, Dzidotor entered a not guilty plea in violation of LI 21(80) regulation 47(2). Under threat of legal repercussions, he stated that his licence was inside the damaged car and was told to bring it to court by May 9, 2024.

Dzidotor was detained by the Ghana Police Service following initial inquiries that suggested he had abandoned his Hyundai truck on the railroad tracks, causing a test run collision with the recently imported Polish train. According to the police statement, Dzidotor’s truck got stuck on the rail while he was delivering cement blocks because he was unable to find a pass-through under the bridge.