PALM BUSH, River Cess – A motorcycle accident has left one person dead in River Cess.

Lester Zeogar, 18, met his demise on Sunday afternoon when his motorcycle ran into another motorcycle on the Monweh to Central River Cess road.

Reports say he was transporting a dead woman on the motorcycle when the accident occurred. This is the second motorcyclist to die in the same area in two months. On the 25th of December last year, Alphonso Gbessaygee died along the same stretch of the road.

Traffic commander Amos Tokpaque has attributed the accidents to “reckless driving and bad road conditions.”

“The roads are bad; the boys like the running business,” Tokpaque said. “The two recent accidents were caused by reckless driving.”

Transporting dead bodies on bikes has become a normal practice by bike riders and authorities have been silent about it

Normally, hammocks are used to transport sick persons and dead bodies when there are emergencies and there are no vehicles.

Despite the danger, commercial motorcyclists say transporting dead bodies is a lucrative business for them as they get paid a lot more money than when they transport living beings. Their customers, the families of the dead, also prefer transporting bodies in that manner because it is the fastest means, as it tends to take much longer for them to get a car.

The traffic commander said there are plans to organize workshops for motorcyclists on safety on the roads.

“I will meet the county commander, the heads of the motorcyclist union, and the chairman of the community watch forum so we can plan this in the shortest and possible time,” Tokpaque said.

He also warned bike riders to refrain from transporting dead bodies on bikes.

Featured photo by Eric Opa Doue