Pangani accident victim was mechanic driving client's Mercedes, police reveal
A screengrab of the accident involving a Mercedes Benz S300 that rammed a concrete wall in the Pangani tunnel on the Thika superhighway. Police have identified the motorist who died in the crash as James Ogola, the car's mechanic.
The motorist who died in the early Sunday morning accident in the Pangani tunnel on Thika Road has been identified as James Ogola, a mechanic at Fitmax garage, according to Starehe sub-county Police Commander Fred Abuga.
Ogola was driving his client Joanne Muthoni’s Mercedes Benz S300 when he rammed a concrete wall at the intersection of Murang’a and Forest roads at the tunnel on the superhighway some minutes after midnight.
A police report stated that Ogola managed to get out of the vehicle that had burst into flames but fell about one metre away and died on the spot.
Ms Muthoni told Nation.Africa that she had given Mr Ogola her car on Thursday for repairs. He was to return it later.
“I can confirm that the vehicle has not been stolen, it was picked up on Thursday for repairs by my mechanic,” Ms Muthoni said.
She explained that she learnt of the accident through frantic calls and texts to her phone by people wondering if she was the one involved in the accident.
“I have received overwhelming love and I thank everyone that has tried to reach me. My phone has been ringing non-stop, and I still have some missed calls that I have not responded to. However, I feel so sad that he lost his life,” she said, adding that she is still in shock and has not been able to leave the house since she learnt of the accident.
Police said Ogola was driving towards the city centre when he lost control of the car and hit the pavement and wall at the intersection before the car burst into flames.
Witnesses said the fire was put out by the Nairobi City County firefighters. The body was moved to the city mortuary.
Images of the burning vehicle and wreckage were widely shared on social media.
“The biggest lesson for me is the need for control over how information is shared. The images and clips shared on social media left me dumbfounded,” said Ms Muthoni.
On whether the mechanic had the liberty to drive the vehicle around, she said, “If there was a need to do a test drive, it’s okay.”
Details about the car’s owner and its occupant had remained unknown for hours.
According to the police, Ogola suffered severe burns on his limbs and lower body, making it difficult to identify him using his fingerprints.
“It was not possible to obtain the fingerprints due to the nature of the burns. We were exploring any angle that could give us some hint on who he might have been,” said Mr Abuga.
At the city mortuary, the body had initially been registered as “an unknown male adult”.
The wreckage of the vehicle was towed to the Pangani police station.
