An unidentified Lagos motorist has been confirmed dead by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) after an articulated truck laden with granite fell on the deceased vehicle along the Lekki–Ajah Expressway in the state.
Meanwhile, the wife of the deceased motorist sustained varying degrees of injuries after she was rescued from the Toyota car trapped under the truck around the Eleko junction on the road.
As gathered, the crash occurred on Thursday when the truck, reportedly travelling at high speed from the Epe axis, suffered a brake failure as it approached Eleko Junction.
According to eyewitnesses, the mechanical failure caused the driver of the truck to lose control, veering off course and ramming into a Toyota saloon car heading inward Epe from the Ajah direction. The impact forced the heavily loaded truck to overturn and fall directly onto the smaller vehicle, crushing it under its weight.
The driver of the Toyota was trapped inside the mangled wreckage as emergency responders raced to the scene.
Operatives of LASTMA and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), supported by bystanders, carried out a coordinated rescue operation to extricate the victims. The male driver was pulled from the debris but was pronounced dead at the scene.
His wife, who was seated in the front passenger seat, sustained severe injuries and was immediately evacuated to a medical facility for urgent treatment, while the husband’s body was deposited at the morgue.
The Guild learnt that the driver of the articulated truck fled the scene shortly after the crash, evading arrest.
Meanwhile, Police operatives from the Akodo Division later provided security at the accident site and have commenced efforts to track down the fleeing driver.
Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, described the crash as a painful and preventable tragedy. He extended condolences to the bereaved family and wished the injured woman a speedy recovery.
Bakare-Oki, in a statement released by LASTMA spokesperson, taofeeq Adebayo, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to strict enforcement of traffic regulations, particularly against reckless driving, poor vehicle maintenance and other violations that endanger public safety.
According to the statement, “In a separate incident, a 33,000-litre fuel tanker went up in flames around midnight at Ile-Zik inward Magboro along the Lagos–Abeokuta Expressway, raising fresh concerns over road safety involving heavy-duty vehicles.
“LASTMA’s rescue team, working in collaboration with the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, swiftly responded to the emergency and successfully contained the fire before it could escalate into a major disaster.
“To facilitate emergency operations, traffic was temporarily diverted into the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor. Normal traffic flow was restored after firefighting and recovery efforts were concluded”.
