By Peter Kuol Kuch
A motorcyclist has been confirmed dead after being involved in a fatal accident with a cow while riding on the road in Bor town on Sunday night.
According to the police, the motorcyclist was riding at 8:00 PM along the road in the town but accidentally met the cows while fighting, jumped on them, and lost control.
Speaking to No. 1 Citizen Daily Newspaper, 1st Lt. James Akech, the spokesperson of the police in Jonglei State, stressed that the motorcyclist died on the spot at the scene of the incident.
“The incident happened yesterday at 8 PM; of course, this Ethiopian man was riding the motorbike and found the cows fighting. He accidentally jumped over them and hit the ground on his head and became no more. The police are now investigating.” Akech said.
However, the police said they are investigating the incident, citing that the owner of the cow also reported the case following the incident.
When contacted by this publication, Dr. Philip Majok, the medical director of Bor State Hospital, said the motorcyclist who was involved in an accident passed on immediately before even reaching the emergency ward at Bor State Hospital.
“Well, this person was brought while dead. So we couldn’t do anything, and so we don’t have any other details about this incident. But truly, this is so sad to see things happen in the big town like this.” Majok said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Agot Alier, the mayor of Bor town, condemned the accident that led to the loss of life.
Hon. Agot stated that the order has already been issued banning the roaming of livestock along the highways and that the cattle owners are to take their cattle out of town.
“The order had already been issued. The problem is that no one wants to heed it. But I was not aware of this incident. Now, I think what can be done is to reactivate the order and see who won’t heed again.” Agot stated.
Dr. Agot emphasised that the order will be reactivated and would be reinforced with drastic measures against cattle owners who would still violate the order. He said the livestock are not allowed to roam on public roads in town.
In many streets of Bor, most cattle love roaming even on the main public roads. They are sometimes spotted standing and could sleep along the streets, which risks public transport. According to residents in Bor, the owners of the cattle sometimes demand a large sum of money once the cow gets involved in an accident at a location far from traffic officers.
However, residents in Bor have repeatedly made many calls to the authorities at the Bor Municipal Council to help issue orders that will regulate the roaming of cattle on the streets in the town and other public roads for the safety of the road users.