Tragedy struck in the early hours on Saturday, when a driver of a fully-laden truck with registration number, GGE 624 YJ, skidded off Pen Cinema Bridge, along Agege, Old Abeokuta Road, Lagos.
The truck driver due to heavy impact, had his limbs and arms fractured in the incident.
The ill-fated truck fatally landed on two stationary painted commercial mini Volkswagen buses, called Korope in the process. Luckily, there were no occupants in the parked buses.
According to an eyewitness the incident which occurred around 6am, attracted residents and passers-by as it obstructed normal vehicular movement for several hours.
Emergency responders, led by men of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, rushed to the scene to save the victims and restore normalcy.
According to General Manager, LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, “Preliminary inquiries suggest that the truck driver fell off the Pen Cinema Bridge, landing upon the two commercial buses stationed beneath.
“Consequently, the truck driver, who suffered grievous fractures to both hands, lost control of the vehicle while navigating the bridge.”
LASTMA Officers successfully extricated the severely injured driver and immediately entrusted him to officers of the Elere Police Division.
He was subsequently conveyed to the General Hospital, Ile-Epo, for urgent medical attention.
However, in a bid to safeguard other road users and forestall secondary incidents, LASTMA personnel swiftly secured the accident site by cordoning off the area and diverting vehicular traffic.
Thereafter, operatives of the LASEMA Response Unit expeditiously cleared the wreckage, thereby restoring unimpeded traffic flow along the axis.
Expressing profound concern, Bakare-Oki, admonished all motorists—particularly truck operators to exercise extreme caution and vigilance, especially with the onset of the rainy season.
He stressed the need for strict compliance with extant road safety protocols and enjoined drivers to adhere to the newly installed speed-limiting devices, a measure strategically deployed to mitigate accidents and promote collective road safety.
