Mimiko rescues accident victims

The medical doctor in the Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, came to the fore on Saturday night at Owena, a border town between Idanre and Ondo East local government areas of the State when he braved a slightly heavy down pour and personally supervised the rescue of three accident victims who were trapped in the wreckages of two Toyota Hiace buses involved in a head-on-collision.

The two commercial buses, a light blue Toyota Hiace bus with registration number ONDO; AR737AKR collided with a white Toyota Hiace with registration number: ONDO XF425NND at a sharp bend near the Owena dam bridge leaving several people trapped inside the wreckages of the . Both buses were coming from opposite directions before they ran into each other at top speed.

A few minutes after the accident which, according to eye-witnesses, occurred due to over speeding, the Governor’s convoy which was coming from Akure, the Ondo State capital to the Governor’s home town Ondo, got to the scene. On sighting the accident, Mimiko ordered his convoy to stop while he came down and moved to the scene of the accident. On hearing the agonizing cries of the victims who were trapped inside the two buses which had been flung into the bush by the impact of the crash, Dr Mimiko swung into action ably supported by his aides.

After successfully extricating the trapped victims, five of them, including a female, an old man and a little boy all who had fractured legs as well as the driver of one of the ill-fated buses laid writhing in severe pains. Dr Mimiko ordered that they be taken in one of cars in his convoy to the General Hospital, Ondo town which appears closer to the scene of the accident than Akure. The governor directed his Chief of Staff (COS) Dr. Kolawole Ademujimi, also a Medical Doctor and his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Mr. Boluwaji Kunlere who were in his entourage to accompany the victims to the Ondo General Hospital to ensure that they get the best of medical attention. The COS had placed a call to the Ondo General Hospital before they arrived with the victim at the hospital and when they got to the hospital over 8 doctors and their nurses were already waiting to receive the injured. Indeed, it was sight to behold medical doctors personally carrying the injured into the Emergency Unit of the Hospital without waiting for the attendants to do so

Speaking to reporters at about 10pm that evening, Dr Ademujimi was full of praises for the doctors and staff of the Ondo General Hospital for their prompt attention to the injured adding that the victims were all okay and responding to treatment. He noted that but for the governor’s prompt arrival at the scene, his quick intervention and those of some public spirited co-travelers who not only participated in the rescue operation but also donated their vehicles to carry the victims to the hospital; lives might have been lost to the unfortunate accident.

In his own reaction, Mr Kunlere, the Political Adviser to Dr Mimiko advised commercial drivers against over-speeding especially on dangerous portions of our roads.