According to eye witness, Bett, 28, then swerved off the road before rolling several times. Bett, who won a rare gold medal at the 2015 Beijing World Championships, was driving alone in his Toyota Prado registration KBN 547W at the time of the accident.
He had just returned to the country a day before from the Africa Senior Athletics Championships in Nigeria, where he crashed out in the 400m hurdles first round due to a nagging leg injury.
The deceased is said to have been thrown out of the vehicle through windscreen in the process of rolling and died instantly after being run over by his vehicle.
Nandi Police Commander, Patrick Wambani, said the accident occurred at 6.30am and he suspects the late athlete had not fastened his safety belt.
Former world and Olympic 1,500m champion Asbel Kiprop and former world 800m champion Alfred Yego, who were among the first people at the scene, said they found Bett’s lifeless body about five metres from his car.
Nandi County Government, led by the CEC for Sports, Elly Kurgat and chief officer for sports, who is also an athletics coach Ken Tanui, mourned the hurdler, saying his demise is big blow to the sport and especially his specialty.
His father said his son had remained in Nairobi for personal reasons but did not notify him of his return home. The late Bett was a National Police Service (General Service Unit) officer.
-BARRY SALIL