No fewer than five pasengers narrowly escaped death in an auto crash involving two vehicles around Toyota Bus Stop, directly opposite the Guardian newspaper headquarters, inward Oshodi.
The accident, which nearly claimed the lives of five people, two men, three women, including the bus driver, involved a tanker truck and a commercial bus.
The catastrophic incident, which unfolded amid the dense congestion of peak-hour traffic, involved a fully laden Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) tanker truck, registration number T28128LA, and a commercial Volkswagen T4 bus, bearing registration number GGE 526 YG.
Confirming the incident on Friday, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) said investigations revealed that the crash was caused by the PMS-laden tanker, which was travelling at an excessive speed.
LASTMA explained that the truck reportedly suffered a sudden brake failure and rammed violently into a private car ahead of it, resulting in a wreckage.
The impact of the collision, the agency added resulted in extensive damage to the commercial Volkswagen T4 bus and left five passengers including the driver in a serious distress.
“Acting with commendable precision, the rescue team secured the accident scene, extracted the injured, and mitigated the risk of secondary hazards.
“One critically injured passenger was conveyed to a nearby medical facility by a courageous Good Samaritan, while ambulances from the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency’s Rescue Unit (LRU) transported the remaining four victims for immediate medical treatment.
Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, decried the growing trend of over-speeding and disregard for traffic safety regulations among commercial drivers.
Bakare-Oki emphasized the importance of complying with the state government’s mandatory speed-limiting devices in commercial vehicles, stressing that the initiative was designed to curb road carnage and safeguard lives.
He gave a clear warning to drivers of heavy-duty vehicles, especially tanker drivers, to keep their vehicles in perfect working condition, especially the brakes, to avoid tragic accidents like this.
Bakare-Oki also called on truck owners to regularly train and retrain their drivers, stressing that protecting human life should always be the top priority in road transport.
The LASTMA boss extended heartfelt wishes for the swift and full recovery of the injured victims, while reaffirming the agency’s commitment to preserving lives and maintaining order on Lagos roads.
