KANKAADI AND ANOTHER vs. B.I.O. LTD. AND ANOTHER [1975]DLHC9962

Date	1975-06-05
Suit No.	[1975] 1 GLR 452-460
Citation No.	[1975]DLHC9962

EDUSEI J.

FORSON FOR THE PLAINTIFFS.

DE GRAFT AIDOO FOR THE FIRST DEFENDANTS.

SEKYI-HUGHES FOR THE SECOND DEFENDANTS.

<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation"  hidden>[1975]DLHC9962</p>
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;color:#00B0F0">KANKAADI AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;color:#00B0F0">B.I.O. LTD. AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">[<span class="NoSpacingChar">HIGH COURT</span>, SEKONDI]<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

</div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">FORSON FOR THE PLAINTIFFS.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">DE GRAFT AIDOO FOR THE FIRST
DEFENDANTS.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

</div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">&nbsp;CORAM:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">EDUSEI J.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">&nbsp;</span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">EDUSEI J.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">The plaintiffs are claiming damages
against the defendants for the negligence of one Peter Kwasi Nyamekye who at
the time of the accident was driving a timber truck No. GK 544.&nbsp; The
plaintiffs originally sued out a writ against the first defendants who were the
owners of vehicle No. GK 544, but in view of their statement of defence, the
plaintiffs thought it desirable to join the second defendants to the suit.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">The facts of the case
as revealed by the evidence are that Peter Kwasi Nyamekye was the driver of the
timber truck No. GK 544, and was driving it on 12 September 1973 from Sekondi
towards Takoradi. It must be understood that at that time Ghana had not changed
over to the right-hand traffic, i.e. traffic in this country at the time was on
the left-hand side of the road.&nbsp; As the driver neared the Household
Utilities Manufacturing Company's factory, popularly known as the Chinese
factory, the [p.454] driver of timber truck No. GK 544, in an attempt to
overtake another timber truck in front of him, came into the lane of a
passenger lorry No. GJ 3130, which was coming from the opposite
direction.&nbsp; The driver of the passenger lorry No. GJ 3130, in order to
avoid a head-on collision, left the tarred portion of the road and went further
on his nearside on to the untarred portion of the road.&nbsp; But the driver of
the timber truck No. GK 544, drove straight into the passenger lorry No. GJ
3130 and tore a portion of passenger lorry No. GJ 3130.&nbsp; Awudu Karimu and
Adjoa Essen, who were passengers in the passenger lorry No. GJ 3130,
died.&nbsp; This is the evidence of the plaintiffs' first witness who was in
the front seat with the driver of lorry No. GJ 3130 and saw clearly what
happened on that fateful day. I accept his evidence.&nbsp; In fact the
statement of Peter Kwasi Nyamekye&nbsp;which he made immediately after the
accident to the police shows that he was negligent. I do not believe his
evidence concerning the issue of negligence because it was an
afterthought.&nbsp; In any case I prefer the evidence of the plaintiffs' first
witness to that of P. K. Nyamekye, the defendants' second witness. I find on
the evidence therefore that Peter Kwasi Nyamekye, driver of timber truck No. GK
544, was negligent.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">Now the main issue
which was hotly contested in this case was whether Peter Kwasi Nyamekye, the
driver of timber truck No. GK 544, was the servant of the first defendants or
the second defendants.&nbsp; There is no dispute that the timber truck No. GK
544 had been hired out to the second defendants by the first defendants at the
time of the accident on 12&nbsp; September 1973.&nbsp; Both parties contended
that Peter Kwasi Nyamekye was the servant of the other.&nbsp; The evidence is
that the timber truck was hired out by the first defendants to the second
defendants on 1 May 1973 and a written agreement was entered into.&nbsp; This
is exhibit 2. The first defendants contended through Arthur, their representative,
that the second defendants paid the wages of the driver, Peter Kwasi Nyamekye,
and this had support from the driver himself, the defendants' second witness,
but he admitted that he was employed by the first defendants: see exhibit 3
(2).&nbsp; However in his evidence he stated that he was employed by the second
defendants. I do not believe him.&nbsp; The second defendants, through their
managing director, Cudjoe, admitted that they paid the monthly wages of Peter
Kwasi Nyamekye but the first defendants also made refunds to them through Carlo
De Vigili, the general manager of the first defendants.&nbsp; The second
defendants' managing director stated that he was exporting logs to the first
defendants' principals overseas and he therefore approached Carlo De Vigili,
general manager of the first defendants, for equipment.&nbsp; He supplied him
with a tractor and the timber truck No. GK 544 which were hired out to
him.&nbsp; He said that the driver, Peter Kwasi Nyamekye, was employed by the
first defendants though it was he who introduced him to Carlo De Vigili at his
office in Takoradi.&nbsp; The logs when they arrived at Takoradi were inspected
by the first defendants for quality before export.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">Again there is
evidence also that the first defendants, owners of timber truck No. GK 544,
took out a policy of insurance in respect of the truck in [p.455] which the
named driver in the proposal form was Peter Kwasi Nyamekye and the proposal
form was signed by the insured, the first defendants. This is the evidence of
the defendants' third witness, Mr. Akoto Bamfo, the legal adviser to the
insurers of timber truck No.&nbsp; GK 544.&nbsp; Again there is the evidence
that the first defendants, through Carlo De Vigili, instructed P. K. Nyamekye
where to park the truck when it was not on the road. This is the evidence of
Cudjoe, the first defendants' representative.&nbsp; There was no evidence from
Carlo De Vigili to contradict this.&nbsp; Having regard </main>