A bus passenger has died following his involvement in a midnight motor accident in Lagos, causing grief at the scene.
The passenger died after a fully laden Mercedes-Benz six-tyre truck (ABJ 37 AC) overturned resulting in the driver losing control of the vehicle, the elderly male passenger seated in the front cabin flung out of the vehicle and struck his head against a sharp object, resulting in his death.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, disclosed that the truck driver, at the Gbagada area, was conveying assorted consignments, including numerous sealed bags and newly branded event chair and drove at considerable speed when its front tyre suddenly burst, which was the cause of the accident.
LASTMA also stated that it deployed it’s officers to the scene and immediately evacuated the deceased from the busy carriageway into a Lagos State Emergency Medical Services (SEHMU) ambulance, thereby eliminating further exposure of the victim and preventing the possibility of another catastrophic incident involving approaching motorists.
The rescue and traffic management operations received substantial inter-agency support, with personnel from Pedro Police Division providing essential security reinforcement, while officers of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service equally participated in the emergency response.
In a deliberate effort to forestall secondary collisions and protect other road users, LASTMA personnel strategically positioned traffic cones and deployed appropriate emergency warning signals to demarcate the accident location, enhance motorists’ visibility and ensure the safe management of approaching traffic.
The overturned truck, due to the considerable volume and nature of its cargo, could not be immediately recovered. Consequently, arrangements were made for transloading the assorted consignments into another empty truck before the vehicle was fully recovered.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki expressed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, describing the fatality as a painful and avoidable loss that underscores the grave consequences of compromised road safety practices.
Bakare-Oki particularly condemned excessive speeding, describing it as a dangerous driving disposition that substantially diminishes a driver’s reaction time, compromises vehicle stability and aggravates the severity of road traffic incidents, especially when unexpected mechanical failures occur