Horrible road accident in Almaty, water carrier crushes pedestrians

In a fatal road traffic accident near Almaty a water carrier truck flipped over killing 2 and injuring 7, Tengrinews reports citing STV channel.

The accident took place at around 10:40 am on August 13 in Kamenka village at the outskirts of Almaty. A water carrier truck was driving along Groza street when the 35 y.o.driver lost control and collided with a BMW, a Lexus and then a passenger bus.

According to the driver of the Zil water truck, he lost control because the engine suddenly died rendering the breaks almost non-functional. He saw that there was a passenger bus ahead of him and a large truck on the contraflow lane, so he tried to turn to the sideway. That was when he grazed the BMW and Lexus. But he still failed to avoid the collision with the passenger bus. After that the water carrier truck flipped over several times, knocked down a street lighting pole, narrowly missed the gas pipeline and hit a group of pedestrians. It landed on top of a young woman crushing her. She died on the spot.

Another woman and a one-year-old child were hit by the truck and were also electrocuted by the power cable that snapped when the water truck knocked down the pole. The woman sustained multiple severe injuries had clinical death on the way to the hospital. She was delivered to the Hospital #7, but there was noting the doctors could do for her.

According to witnesses one of the two women managed to save the baby from being crushed by the water truck in the last moment. The baby made it to the hospital, but remains in a severe condition. 

A total of seven people were injured in the horrible accident. Five of them were in the passenger bus.

The water truck driver was also among those severely injured. Test has confirmed that the driver was not drunk.

Six ambulances were dispatched to the site.

The fuel tank of the water truck was punctured in the accident and started leaking fuel. A firefighting crew had to cover the truck in foam to prevent things from getting even worse.

Photos ©STV

On August 10 the Deputy Chief Doctor of the Children’s Hospital of Almaty Nikolai Dyachenko said that the baby boy was still in a critical condition and doctors were fighting for his life. The child had a brain injury and concussion and remained unconscious, but his life was no longer in danger.

“Two of the victims of the traffic accident were rendered medical aid and sent home for further treatment. Two other people are currently at the Neurosurgical Department of the Hospital #7 with brain injuries. They are not in a life-threatening condition,” Dr. Bolatbek Baimakhanov of the Hospital #7 said.

Two more victims were taken to the Emergency Aid Hospital.

By Tatyana Kuzmina and Gyuzel Kamalova (Roza Yessenkulova contributed to the story)