Road Accidents

It’s been a year since God provided my pick-up truck, and I thank Him for keeping me safe in it so far.  There have been some close calls, though.  Two months ago, a motorcyclist behind me didn’t notice that I was braking and signaling a turn.  When he swerved to avoid hitting me, his passenger flew through the air, thudded against the back of my vehicle, and fell onto the street, breaking two ribs.  Thankfully, his injuries weren’t life-threatening.

Earlier this month, at a complex intersection along my commute, I hit a motorcycle.  I still have no idea how it suddenly appeared at the front corner of my car as I cautiously turned across traffic.  I braked and the motorcyclist veered away, so the impact was light enough that he didn’t fall.  A quick roadside examination of him and his motorcycle revealed that neither suffered any damage (nor did my truck), so he said all was fine and took his leave.  Whew!

Sadly, a co-worker’s accident last Tuesday had a different outcome.  My neighbor Rui Daniel, pictured here in the button-down shirt, was riding his bicycle to work at our organization’s headquarters in town when he was struck by a pick-up at a railroad crossing in a construction zone.  He went instantly to meet his Maker.  And I missed most of his funeral on Wednesday because I was discussing my vehicle’s registration paperwork with officials at a checkpoint – which represents yet another aspect of driving in Africa.

Please beseech God to continue protecting me on African roads!