Ghana loses hundreds of pedestrians every year to drivers who knock them down and flee. Police crash data analysed in a peer-reviewed Transportation Letters study recorded 1,469 hit-and-run crash observations between 2013 and 2020 alone, an average of roughly 200 documented hit-and-run crashes a year, with fatal outcomes most common on dark, unlit roadways. A separate hospital-based study in the Ghana Medical Journal found that “unknown” vehicles, predominantly hit-and-run events, were responsible for 68% of pedestrian fatalities captured in the National Road Traffic Accident Database.
Layered on top of that is a deepening national road-safety crisis. The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) recorded 2,494 road traffic deaths in 2024, up from 2,276 in 2023. By mid-2025, more than 1,500 Ghanaians had already died on the roads, with the NRSA warning that the country could close 2025 with as many as 3,000 fatalities, potentially making it the deadliest year on record. Pedestrians account for between 36.7% and 56% of those deaths, depending on the region; in Kumasi, the figure is as high as 64%.
Behind every percentage point is a name, a family, a story that ended on the side of a Ghanaian road. Below are some of the most prominent hit-and-run fatalities reported in the country over the last decade. These are incidents that have triggered public outrage, parliamentary debate, and renewed calls for road-safety reform.
2015: The Kaneshie–Odawkaw Tragedy
In January 2015, the country was jolted by the death of a young man, believed to be in his mid-twenties, on the Kaneshie–Odawkaw stretch in Accra. The victim, dressed in a green T-shirt and black trousers, was struck on a Saturday evening and left in a pool of blood in the middle of the road. The driver fled the scene without rendering any assistance — a chilling pattern that would repeat itself many times over in the years to follow.
2016: A Preacher Cut Down at Dawn
The story of 45-year-old Akwasi Boateng remains one of the most tragic of the decade. A devoted Seventh-Day Adventist evangelist, Boateng was on his usual dawn preaching mission at around 4 a.m. on Sunday, May 1, 2016, at Tanfo Aduam near Ashanti Bekwai when a speeding driver knocked him down. Witnesses said the driver realised the preacher had died but still failed to stop. The body was so severely dismembered that the family was forced to bury him almost immediately.
Just three weeks later, on May 22, 2016, another foreigner believed to be in his 60s was knocked down and killed near the Anyaa Market close to the Awoshie traffic light in Accra. His body lay at the scene for hours, covered in blood, before authorities arrived.
2018: Mother of Three Killed in Airport Area Chaos
On September 5, 2018, a 37-year-old driver, Paul Agbedor, knocked down a pedestrian near Max Mart Super Market in Accra’s Airport area with his Ford (registration GN 3888-15). In a panicked attempt to escape, Agbedor sped through any available route, leaving a trail of destruction that ended with the death of a mother of three at a chop bar near what is now the National Guard Unit (formerly the Airport Mobile Police Barracks). Eight others were injured.
2021: Two Cases That Shook the Nation
The Suhum-Amanase Highway Death (May 2021) On the night of May 27, 2021, residents of Amanase on the Accra–Kumasi highway woke up to gory scenes — the mutilated body of a man scattered on the road. Angry youth blocked the highway with cement blocks and burning tyres, attacking police with stones in their fury. The suspected driver, 27-year-old John Amoako, later turned himself in along with his Howo tipper truck (GN 4411-19) and was remanded by the Suhum Circuit Court.
The Murder of Teacher Alice Adamtey (June 2021) Perhaps the most chilling case of the decade involved 27-year-old Alice Adamtey, a teacher at De Youngsters School, Adenta. On the night of the incident, an unlicensed driver, 42-year-old Emeka Adams, knocked her down at the Adenta–Dodowa traffic intersection with his Hyundai Sonata (GB 2126-20). Rather than rush her to a hospital, Adams allegedly pretended to do so to escape the wrath of bystanders — only to dump her in a bushy area, where she later died. He was eventually arrested and charged with murder.
Adansi Amudurase, July 2021 On Sunday, July 18, 2021, a 23-year-old man — whose identity was not immediately known — was crashed to death by a speeding vehicle at Adansi Amudurase in the Adansi South District of the Ashanti Region. His lifeless body was found lying in the middle of the road by a passerby.
2022: A 4-Year-Old Girl in Kpando
In one of the most heart-wrenching cases of the decade, a 4-year-old girl was knocked down at Kudzra in the Kpando Municipality of the Volta Region on Thursday, February 10, 2022, at about 5:30 p.m. The little girl was on an errand with her peers when the incident occurred. The driver fled, leaving her to her fate. She was confirmed dead at the Margret Marquart Catholic Hospital in Kpando.
2023: A Grandmother on the Asukawkaw–Dambai Highway
On the evening of Thursday, June 1, 2023, 55-year-old Ama Wete was knocked down by an unidentified vehicle on the outskirts of Kparekpare, a farming community in Dambai of the Oti Region. She suffered fatal head injuries. The Krachi East Motor Traffic and Transport Division (MTTD) appealed to the public to help identify the driver, but the case remained largely unresolved.
A separate hit-and-run on the Assin Fosu–Cape Coast highway also claimed a man’s life that year, while another reported case at Konongo Habitats on the Accra–Kumasi highway saw a man crashed to death around 11 p.m. on a Friday with the driver vanishing into the night.
2024: A Devastating Year on Ghana’s Roads
Accra-Tema Motorway, July 2024 A young girl was killed instantly on the Accra-Tema motorway in late July 2024, then horrifyingly struck by a second vehicle. Outraged residents blocked the motorway in protest, demanding action.
The Kanda Highway Fatality (October 2024) On Tuesday, October 8, 2024, around 8:30 p.m., a Toyota V8 driver fatally struck a pedestrian on the Kanda Highway in Accra. According to eyewitness Shaibu Danjuma, the driver initially stopped after the collision but quickly sped off. The unidentified victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Residents blamed the lack of streetlights for repeated tragedies on the stretch.
2025: From Crossover Service to Bonfire Night Tragedy
Owura Kwame, Esereso (January 2025) As Ghanaians ushered in the New Year on the night of December 31, 2024, into January 1, 2025, a young man identified as Owura Kwame was knocked to death while crossing the road during the 31st Night crossover service in Esereso, Bosomtwe Constituency. The driver fled, leaving worshippers in shock.
The Achimota Bonfire Tragedy (March 2025) Two former students of Achimota School — Davida Asante Boateng and Lilian Akorli — lost their lives in a particularly painful hit-and-run on the Achimota Highway. The two ladies, both members of the OAA ’24 year group, were knocked down by a black Corolla around 11:30 p.m. on March 7, 2025, while returning to UPSA after attending the school’s annual Bonfire Celebration. The driver fled. Davida was confirmed dead on arrival at hospital, while Lilian battled through the night before passing on the morning of March 8.
Kasoa to Circle: A Body Dumped in Accra (July 2025) In one of the most disturbing cases of the year, a 33-year-old pedestrian was struck by a vehicle near the Kasoa New Market on July 9, 2025. Witnesses said locals urged the driver to take him to a hospital. Instead, the driver allegedly drove him to Circle in Accra and abandoned him there, where he later died. A journalist covering an unrelated event noticed the police presence and uncovered the story.
Tetegu Okada Tragedy (September 2025) A trotro driver killed an okada rider in a hit-and-run crash at Tetegu in September 2025. The rider, a hardworking transport operator at Old Barrier along the Kasoa road, died instantly. His pillion passenger survived with severe injuries.
2026: A Year That Began With a National Outrage
Charles Amissah and the “No-Bed Syndrome” Death (February 2026) The death of 29-year-old Charles Amissah ignited national outrage. An engineer at Promasidor Ghana Limited, makers of Cowbell milk, Charles was riding his red motorcycle home to Adenta on the night of February 6, 2026, when he was involved in a hit-and-run at the Nkrumah Circle Overpass.
What followed was, perhaps, even more tragic than the crash itself. National Ambulance Service crews rushed him first to the Police Hospital, then to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge), and finally to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. All three institutions reportedly turned him away, citing “no vacant bed.” For nearly three hours, Charles was shuttled in the back of the ambulance until he went into cardiac arrest and died. The Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) launched a full-scale investigation, and the case prompted nationwide debate about Ghana’s emergency healthcare system.
Buipe–Tamale Road Tragedy (March 2026) On March 31, 2026, four people — two men and two women — died in a horrific crash at Sawaba No. 2 on the Buipe–Tamale road. A trailer truck collided with a Sprinter Benz bus travelling from Buipe to Kumasi and then sped off, leaving 19 passengers with injuries and three trapped in the wreckage. Three were pronounced dead at the scene; one died at hospital.
Tanoso/USTED Hit-and-Run (April 2026) On April 30, 2026, an unidentified person was struck and killed by a speeding vehicle near the University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (USTED) campus at Tanoso, in the Kwadaso Municipality of the Ashanti Region. The driver fled. The Assembly Member for Tanoso, Hon. Aaron Nandie, called on the Ghana Police Service to expedite investigations.
A Decade of Pain — and a Call for Action
A peer-reviewed study published in Transportation Letters analysed 1,469 hit-and-run crash observations in Ghana between 2013 and 2020 alone, finding that crashes on dark, unlit roadways were significantly more likely to result in fatal injuries. A separate hospital study found that “unknown” vehicles — predominantly hit-and-run events — were responsible for 68% of pedestrian fatalities in Ghana, often involving unlicensed drivers or those fleeing other offences such as drunk-driving.
Road-safety experts, including those at the CSIR-Building and Road Research Institute (BRRI), continue to call for stiffer penalties, mandatory installation of street lighting on accident-prone stretches, traffic medians, and the deployment of automated enforcement cameras to identify fleeing vehicles. The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) reports that more than 2,000 lives are lost annually on Ghana’s roads — many of them in incidents where drivers fail to stop.
For the families of victims like Charles Amissah, Alice Adamtey, Davida Asante Boateng, Lilian Akorli, the unnamed 4-year-old of Kudzra, and countless others, the wounds remain raw. Beyond the statistics, each name represents a life cut short, a family broken, and a nation that must do better.
As years continue to roll-on, the question on the lips of road-safety advocates is simple: How many more must die before action is taken?
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