An unidentified female passenger has lost her life while six others sustained serious injuries in a tragic road crash along the Oworonsoki–Apapa Expressway in Lagos over the weekend.
The accident occurred at the New Castle Bus Stop inward Gbagada when a Volkswagen commercial bus with registration number LSD 654 XY reportedly lost control and crashed into a roadside culvert.
According to eyewitnesses, the impact of the collision forcefully ejected a female passenger from the bus onto the expressway. In a tragic twist, an oncoming articulated trailer approaching the scene could not avoid the sudden situation and ran over the passenger, killing her instantly.
Officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), who were monitoring vehicular movement around the Gbagada axis on Sunday, quickly mobilized to the scene and activated an emergency traffic response to prevent further accidents.
The traffic management team cordoned off the expressway to allow the safe evacuation of the deceased, the injured victims, and the wreckage of the damaged commercial bus.
Six other occupants of the bus, including the driver, sustained varying degrees of injuries, with some reportedly suffering multiple fractures. The driver of the articulated trailer involved in the fatal incident allegedly fled the scene immediately after the crash.
Security operatives from the Nigeria Police Force later arrived at the scene to support traffic officials and maintain order around the accident corridor.
Emergency responders from the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) evacuated the injured victims, including the bus driver who reportedly sustained a fractured leg, to a nearby hospital for urgent medical treatment.
Meanwhile, personnel from the Lagos State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU) removed the remains of the deceased passenger from the roadway.
After the evacuation exercise, LASTMA officials cleared the wreckage and debris from the scene, restoring normal vehicular movement along the busy expressway.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed deep condolences to the family of the deceased.
Bakare-Oki prayed that God grants the bereaved family the strength to bear the painful loss and also wished the injured victims a quick and full recovery.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to ongoing public awareness campaigns on road safety across Lagos State and urged motorists, particularly commercial transport operators, to ensure their vehicles are in proper mechanical condition before embarking on any journey.
“Strict adherence to routine vehicle maintenance remains an indispensable safeguard against preventable road traffic accidents and a critical measure for the preservation of human lives on our highways,” he said.
