Police say motorcyclist hit by their vehicle at Ridge was sent to hospital, not left on the road

The Ghana Police Service has confirmed that its vehicles were involved in a crash with a motorcyclist at Ridge in Accra on Wednesday, but says the injured rider was not abandoned and was taken to hospital.

The vehicles were driving against oncoming traffic when one of them hit the motorbike near the National Theatre.

According to a Graphic Online report, the police Cyber Vetting and Enforcement Team said the rider, a civilian, received treatment at Ridge Hospital.

The response follows a Facebook post by journalist and lawyer Umaru Sanda Amadu, who said he watched the crash happen and that the police did not take the rider to hospital while he was still at the scene.

According to the police, the vehicles belonged to the National Protection Unit (NPU), and the officers were on “an important assignment.”

“Preliminary enquiries indicate that the assigned service driver quickly conveyed the victim to Ridge Hospital for medical attention. The victim subsequently confirmed that he had received medical treatment from the Ridge Hospital and was discharged,” the police said.

The police added that the crash is being investigated to establish exactly what happened and to decide whether further action is needed.

Mr Amadu wrote that the crash happened around 5pm on Wednesday, while he was stuck in heavy traffic from Accra Central towards 37 near the Ridge roundabout. He said two police cars were driving down the emptier opposite lane when the lead car hit an oncoming motorbike, throwing the helmeted rider face down onto the road and knocking him unconscious.

Some officers got out with their guns held ready, then moved the rider and his bike onto the grass in the middle of the road. By then the rider had come round but was dazed, and fell back when the officers tried to help him up.

He said that for the more than five minutes he remained stuck in traffic at the scene, the officers stayed with the rider instead of rushing him to hospital, as he had seen other people do in past road accidents.

Mr Amadu ended by asking the Inspector-General of Police to check on the rider, saying he wanted the incident used to train other officers and was not asking for anyone to be punished.

His full post is embedded below.

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