Ofankor Crash: Police Say Viral Vitz Hero Story Got It Wrong

The viral story from the Ofankor Highway sounded heroic at first: a Toyota Vitz driver had supposedly placed his car in front of a truck to stop a dangerous brake failure and save other road users. Police now say that version does not match the early evidence.

The incident, which drew wide attention from Monday, July 13, 2026, involved a Toyota Vitz and a truck on the Ofankor stretch. Social media posts quickly framed the Vitz driver as a brave motorist who sacrificed his vehicle to prevent a bigger disaster. But preliminary investigations by the Achimota-Mile 7 District Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department point in another direction.

According to the police account, the crash was not caused by a truck with failed brakes. The early findings rather suggest that the Vitz driver made a reckless manoeuvre that brought the smaller vehicle into the truck's path. The truck driver, police say, may have helped prevent what could have become a fatal crash.

Police account challenges the viral version

JoyNews traced the vehicles and the drivers to the Achimota-Mile 7 District Police MTTD station after visiting the crash scene. At the location, two long tyre marks were still visible on the road, showing where the truck driver had attempted to stop the vehicle after the collision began.

ASP Abubakar Bawa, the district MTTD Commander, said preliminary questioning did not support the claim that the truck's brakes had failed. He explained that the truck driver told investigators the Vitz had been travelling alongside the truck before suddenly drifting across its path.

"The claim that the truck suffered brake failure and caused the accident is not true. From our preliminary investigations, the accident resulted from reckless driving by the Vitz driver," ASP Bawa said.

The commander also disclosed that the Vitz driver had been driving for about two months and was using a temporary licence at the time of the accident. Police are preparing a docket for him to be arraigned.

The case has become a reminder of how quickly public opinion can form around a short video, especially when the first online narration is emotional, dramatic, and not checked against eyewitness or police accounts.

Eyewitness says truck driver was braking

An eyewitness named Akwasi, a spare-parts dealer who saw the collision, also contradicted the viral claim. He said the truck was descending and the driver was already applying the brakes when the Vitz attempted to overtake by squeezing between trucks.

According to him, the collision happened during that manoeuvre. The truck then dragged the Vitz along the road while the truck driver continued braking. The tyre marks left on the highway, he said, showed the truck driver's attempt to stop the vehicle safely.

"The truck was descending and the driver was applying the brakes gradually. The Vitz driver tried to overtake by manoeuvring between the trucks, and that was when the accident happened," Akwasi said.

People at the scene later assisted police officers to separate the vehicles before they were moved to the station. No injuries were recorded, an important detail in an incident that could have ended far worse given the weight of the truck and the busy nature of the road.

The absence of casualties appears to be one reason the truck driver's actions have come under renewed attention. While the online narrative initially blamed him, the available accounts now suggest he was managing a dangerous situation created in front of him.

Truck driver says he was avoiding deaths

The truck driver, who was travelling from Kumasi to Tema, said he was in the inner lane while another vehicle was ahead in the outer lane. He said the Vitz came from behind and attempted to move between his truck and the vehicle ahead.

He explained that the rear tyre of the Vitz became caught on the truck's bumper, causing the smaller car to turn sideways across the road. From that moment, his focus, he said, was to prevent the situation from turning fatal.

"I carefully applied both the foot brake and the handbrake to prevent the situation from becoming fatal. It is completely untrue that my brakes failed and that the Vitz driver was trying to help me," the truck driver said.

He added that even if the braking effort had damaged his tyres, his priority was to avoid loss of life. That account aligns with the police statement that he used both the foot brake and handbrake to bring the truck under control.

The incident has nevertheless left him facing financial pressure. The truck and its container remain at the police station as investigations continue, preventing him from returning the container to the port within the required period. He said he is being charged GH¢1,000 for each day of delay, with demurrage costs nearing GH¢5,000.

Vitz driver declines camera interview

The Vitz driver, identified as Bashiru Ridwanu Mohammed, declined an on-camera interview when JoyNews approached him at the police station. During an off-camera interaction in the MTTD Commander's office, however, he reportedly acknowledged wrongdoing and said he had seen the viral posts praising him as a hero.

He also indicated that he intended to publish his own account of the incident on social media. Police, however, are proceeding with their investigation based on statements gathered from the drivers, the eyewitness account, and the physical evidence from the crash scene.

The key facts now before the public are clear:

• The crash happened on the Ofankor Highway and involved a Toyota Vitz and a truck.
• Viral posts claimed the Vitz driver stopped a runaway truck with failed brakes.
• Police say preliminary findings do not support the brake-failure claim.
• An eyewitness said the truck driver was braking as the Vitz attempted a risky manoeuvre.
• No injuries were recorded.
• The Vitz driver is expected to be arraigned after police complete the docket.

For many Ghanaians who saw the clip before the police account emerged, the case is a cautionary tale. A dramatic video can travel faster than the facts, but road safety investigations depend on evidence, not applause. In this case, the driver first celebrated online may now face court, while the trucker initially blamed may have been the one working hardest to prevent a tragedy.