The graduation ceremony for 168 students of Karn High School in Karnplay, Nimba County turned tragic on Saturday when a vehicle carrying some of the jubilant graduates and their family members overturned, killing one of the graduates whose brother owns the vehicle.
The accident took Karnplay residents by surprise when they heard that one of the graduates, Preston Seideh, 26, was killed in an accident shortly after the commencement program ended.
The euphoria that had marked the graduation ceremony turned sour, giving way to tears of anger and anguish over Seideh’s death.
A reporter on Radio Karn’s Voice of Peace told this newspaper that the accident happened in Gbeh Larpea #1 when the vehicle skidded off the road and somersaulted, killing Seideh and injuring several others, including the driver, Matthew Dornay.
Dornay, brother of the deceased, and the others injured in the accident were rushed to Sanniquellie and admitted at the G.W. Harley Hospital. Reports say Dornay is in critical condition while others who sustained various degrees of injury were treated and discharged.
“The driver attempted to make a U-turn when he skidded off the road and the vehicle somersaulted right in the middle of Larpea Town,” an eyewitness told the Daily Observer.
The Toyota Hilux pickup involved in the accident was often used by Dornay to carry produce to the local market. It is currently parked at the Liberia National Police (LNP) detachment in Karnplay awaiting an investigation.
Meanwhile, funeral rites over the remains of Seideh were held yesterday and interment followed thereafter in his hometown, Larpea#2.
