Try To Avoid Car Rides When in Nigeria

By Andrew Meyer on August 9, 2007

My sister is in Nigeria this summer doing a nursing internship at a pretty remote hospital in Ile Ife. She sends us emails jam-packed with alarming experiences every couple of days. Here's an excerpt from a recent email:

On the way back it was pouring rain and about an hour away from Jengre we came across a horrible accident. There was a semi, a small car and then nine bodies sprawaled on the side of the road with a huge crowd just standing there. We quickly pulled over to see if we (myself, a rural health program director and CHEW) could help. Seven of the people were either unconscious, dead or dying in front of us and everyone was just watching. We found another victim in the bushes nearby and had him pulled out, but he looked to have severe internal damage and was struggling to breathe. I don't think anything has ever upset me so much in my whole entire life. There were no ambulances coming, there were no policemen (we went down the road and told soldiers, but they said it wasn't their job), there was no hospital to take them to (at least not for 200 kilometers), we had no medical equipment, noone was helping and I had no idea what to do. I wish I was a doctor or an EMT or something other than a stupid student nurse with no medical equipment. While I was standing there another car crashed 50 feet away and the whole crowd started screaming and running to the next thing to gawk at.

I guess fatal car wrecks happen at a high rate due to many factors. When she first got to Nigeria she was advised to avoid car rides. She encounters blaring issues like this everyday.

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