Dramatic footage shared on social media captured from CCTV cameras captured the tense moments when an overloaded pickup loaded with logs collided with a 14-seater matatu, causing it to lose control and drive into a crowded market.
The footage also shows the moment the matatu narrowly avoided hitting pedestrians.
The incident unfolded in Banana, Kiambu County, and prompted a chaotic scene as locals rushed to the site.
According to the video footage, the matatu was struck from behind by the pickup, causing it to veer off the road and traverse a raised intersection. Interestingly, the matatu also collided with a tire placed on the intersection, which was meant to prevent such accidents.
Subsequently, the matatu careened into a nearby local market, narrowly missing pedestrians near the road.
The pickup truck, in turn, also lost control after the impact and came to a halt right at the edge of a ditch resulting in the logs it was carrying to scatter onto the ground.
Four times lucky pedestrian
One local resident was in the midst of crossing the road when the matatu came speeding towards him. Despite his attempts to escape the danger, he was thrown into a nearby drainage a few inches from the point where the matatu came to a halt.
Despite some logs from the pickup being hurled forwards into the ditch, the lucky resident emerged relatively unscathed.
The lucky fellow will consider himself four times lucky, having narrowly avoided being struck by the matatu, being hit by the tire flung by the matatu, and also avoiding being injured by the falling logs.
He will also thank his gods since the overloaded pickup came to a ground right at the edge of the ditch where he dove for cover.
Another local resident, a boda boda rider, who had been caught on camera speaking to a client hastily abandoned his bike upon witnessing the two vehicles approaching. Both individuals are seen fleeing to safety in the footage.
The locals rushed to the matatu, which was visibly covered in smoke. They quickly moved to open the rear door of the matatu to assist passengers who were onboard.
The precise cause of the pickup truck losing control was not immediately evident. But the passengers and passersby will count themselves extremely lucky after this dramatic event.
