Stunt riding goes wrong as ‘Okada man’ crashes to death on Kasoa-Ofaakor road

It is said that one can be a good stunt man but his “personal gods” may not be at home on the day of a crucial performance.

This, perharps was the case, when an “okada man” attempted to put up a display on his motorbike last Sunday but failed and lost his life on the Kasoa-Ofaakor road in the Central Region.

The young man believed to be in his early thirties, according to eye witnesses, was on his regular rounds at about 6:30 pm that day when he decided to exhibit his stunt riding skills known in local parlance as “ad­aga.”

Residents close to the scene said he was in action for sometime but suddenly lost control of the bike, landed on the ground and died in­stantly with blood gushing out of his head.

Those who rushed to see him lying in a pool of blood said the man nick named “Enemies” was riding without crash helmet. He is said to be well-known among ‘okada’ riders who operated at a location called “Old Timers” on the Kasoa-Ofaakor stretch.

According to accounts, the rider was not competing with anyone but only decided to put up a one-man show when luck eluded him.

Some residents who spoke to The Spectator expressed worry over reckless riding and increasing spate of stunt riding put up by some motorbike owners especially at weekends when the roads were somewhat less busy.

“Sometimes you cannot tell what is wrong with some of these oka­da riders. They take everything for granted and ride as if there is no tomorrow. The police are doing their best to enforce the wearing of crash helmets but some riders still disre­gard basic safety precautions.

“This incident is unfortunate but the young man would have survived if he had his helmet on,” one of the witnesses said.

The body of the deceased had since been conveyed by personnel of the Motor Transport and Traffic De­partment of the Ghana Police Service.