16th September, 2013
Russia’s top judge was hurt in a car accident in Ghana on Monday and was being treated in an intensive care unit, officials said, adding that he was in a stable condition.
Details of chief justice Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Lebedev’s injuries were unclear following the accident, which occurred during an official visit to the country.
“The Rt. Hon. Lebedev who is currently at the intensive care unit of the 37 Military Hospital was brought to Accra through an emergency airlift conducted by the Ghana Airforce,” a government statement said.
“He is in stable condition.”
The statement said the accident occurred near Tsito in the Volta region in the country’s southeast at around 3:00 pm local time (1500 GMT).
“Initial investigations show that the accident occurred when a tipper truck suddenly veered into the lane in which his convoy was travelling,” the statement said.
Officials said that Lebedev was on his way to the capital Accra after an address at the Ghana Bar Association in the city of Ho when the accident occurred.
“A truck just got in the way of the convoy,” said Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Ghana’s deputy information minister. “An accident occurred and he got injured.”
An official with Ghana’s Motor Traffic and Transport Unit, Alex Obeng, called the accident “minor”, but details were unclear.
“The accident was minor and two persons sustained injury and are being airlifted to Accra for immediate attention,” Obeng said earlier.
“I can confirm that (Lebedev) was involved together with a police officer.”
The cause of the crash was under investigation.
Lebedev was in Ghana on a four-day visit at the invitation of the African nation’s chief justice. Local media reported that he had arrived on Saturday.
Traffic accidents are a common occurrence in Ghana due to the poor condition of its roads and bad driving.
The World Health Organisation said 1,986 people died in road accidents in the country in 2010.