A bride and her groom who were injured in a road accident on the way to their wedding on Sunday afternoon are in stable condition and could be discharged from hospital soon, medics have said.
A bride and her groom who were injured in a road accident on the way to their wedding on Sunday afternoon are in stable condition and could be discharged from hospital soon, medics have said.
The wreckage of the car that the bride and groom were travelling in. Medics say the couple is now in stable condition. (Courtesy)
The accident on the Huye-Nyanza road left Josephine Mukarurangwa, 33, with serious injuries on the head which forced her into coma. Her cervical spine was also fractured, leaving her in a critical condition.
Shortly after the accident, the wife-to-be was rushed to King Faisal Hospital in Kigali for emergency care.On Monday, she underwent successful surgery, Dr Emile Rwamasirabo, the hospital’s Director General, told The New Times on Monday.
Dr Alex Butare, an Orthopaedic-surgeon, carried out the operation.
"It was a delicate operation but it went well,” Dr Rwamasirabo said. "She is in a stable condition. She is steadily improving and recovering.”
The medic said doctors continue to monitor Mukarurangwa, who is also said to be out of coma.
Meanwhile officials at Nyanza Hospital, where the groom was admitted after the accident, said he could be discharged soon.
Phenias Niyifasha sustained minor injuries in the tragic accident that prematurely ended his wedding ceremony and left many guests in shock.
Dr Lwesso Guillain Mununga, Nyanza Hospital Director, said Niyifasha is "out of danger.” "He is doing well and might be discharged anytime,” Dr Mununga said.
At the time of the accident on Sunday afternoon, the couple and their guests were driving from an introduction and dowry giving ceremony in Huye to Nyanza District, where they were due to exchange their vows.
But upon reaching Kinkanga village, Rusatira Sector, Huye District, the driver of a Haval jeep the couple was travelling in lost control as he tried to overtake a Nissan Horizon Coach bus.
The jeep was headed for a head-on collision with an oncoming Coaster bus and as the driver struggled to avoid the crash, he veered off the road as a result, Police earlier told The New Times.
Four individuals travelling in the jeep, including the bride and the groom, sustained injuries and were rushed to various hospitals, including Nyanza Hospital, the University Teaching Hospital of Butare and King Faisal Hospital, Kigali.
One of the victims was discharged late on Sunday as he was declared to be safe.
The Huye accident came hardly a week after a deadly road accident killed 15 people and left more than 20 others in critical condition in the eastern district of Gatsibo.
At least 1,324 road accidents were reported in the first half of 2014, killing 97 people, according to Police figures.