Police in Nansana are investigating an incident in which a billboard crashed into a 17-year-old girl who had taken shelter in a nearby taxi during a heavy downpour.
Luke Owoyesigyire, the deputy police spokesperson, while speaking at the security presser from the police headquarters in Naguru on October 2, 2023, said that during the heavy rains on Sunday afternoon, the victim identified as Mildred Najjembe, and another person took shelter under a vehicle that was parked at the police compound in Lubigi.
“The victim, who was dealing in clothes and a resident of Wamala, had taken shelter within the motor vehicle UAW 261N, and due to the heavy rain, the billboard fell and hit the car that was parked within the compound of the Police Post, crushing her while she was inside the vehicle,” Owoyesigyire said.
Owoyesigyire also mentioned that there was another person in the vehicle identified as Zahara Nanyonjo, but fortunately, she was not seated when it fell. She survived by lying down on the floor of the vehicle.
The police are urging the public to avoid seeking shelter under temporary structures such as billboards and sometimes trees when it’s raining. These structures are susceptible to lightning strikes, and there have been instances of trees falling due to heavy winds.
The police cautions people to take shelter under a permanent structure because that is something that rarely happens. But since billboards have started falling, it is something that we ought not to do when it is raining. So we are working on identifying the owners to record their statements and also ascertain whether they were up to the standard.
