Man killed, wife critically injured as granite truck crushes car in Lagos
A male motorist has died and his wife sustained critical injuries after a granite-laden truck toppled onto their Toyota saloon car at Eleko Junction along the Lekki–Ajah Expressway in Lagos.
A male motorist has died and his wife sustained critical injuries after a granite-laden truck toppled onto their Toyota saloon car at Eleko Junction along the Lekki–Ajah Expressway in Lagos.
The crash occurred on Thursday morning and involved an articulated truck travelling from the Epe axis and a Toyota saloon car heading towards Epe from Ajah.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority disclosed the incident in a statement issued by its Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Adebayo Taofiq.
According to the agency, preliminary investigations indicate that the truck, which was transporting granite, experienced brake failure while approaching Eleko Junction, resulting in loss of control.
Eyewitnesses said the truck veered off its lane, rammed into the Toyota car and subsequently toppled onto it, crushing the smaller vehicle.
"The sheer momentum of the impact resulted in the truck toppling and descending upon the smaller vehicle, crushing it beneath its prodigious weight.
Authoritative reports further indicate that the driver of the Toyota saloon car became entrapped within the mangled wreckage.
Through the valiant and coordinated intervention of LASTMA personnel and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in collaboration with public-spirited bystanders, the victim was extricated from the debris.
Tragically, he was pronounced dead at the scene. His wife, seated in the front passenger position, sustained life-threatening injuries and was immediately rescued for urgent medical attention.
The remains of the deceased and his critically injured spouse were evacuated from the accident locus by an ambulance service deployed by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) for requisite medical and mortuary procedures.
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In a most condemnable abdication of responsibility, the driver of the articulated truck fled the scene immediately upon witnessing the recovery of the deceased victim, thereby evading lawful accountability.
Operatives of the Akodo Police Division furnished essential security reinforcement, maintaining order and safeguarding the vicinity throughout the duration of the rescue and recovery operations", the statement read.
Reacting, the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr Olalekan Bakare Oki, described the incident as a tragic and avoidable crash.
He condoled with the family of the deceased and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured woman, while warning drivers against reckless driving and poor vehicle maintenance.
Bakare Oki said the agency would continue to enforce traffic laws strictly, especially against speeding, mechanical negligence and other violations that endanger lives on the roads.
Meanwhile, LASTMA said it also responded to a separate incident involving a fuel tanker fire along the Lagos Abeokuta Expressway.
According to the agency, a 33,000 litre fuel tanker caught fire around midnight at Ile Zik inward Magboro.
LASTMA rescue officials, working with the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, were said to have contained and extinguished the fire before it escalated.
To ensure safety and ease emergency operations, traffic was temporarily diverted into the Bus Rapid Transit corridor. Normal traffic flow was restored after the firefighting and recovery exercise.
The agency urged motorists to exercise caution at all times and comply with road safety regulations to prevent avoidable tragedies.
