Another view of the outrightly damaged car.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) on Thursday swiftly responded to an early morning road traffic accident at Eleko Junction along the Lekki–Ajah Expressway, which claimed the life of a male motorist and left his spouse critically injured
The accident was said to have been caused by an articulated truck, carrying granite which was travelling at an excessive speed from the Epe axis, approaching the Eleko Junction, when it reportedly experienced a brake failure. The brake failure precipitated a loss of control, causing the truck to collide with a Toyota saloon car travelling from Ajah inward Epe.
The impact resulted in the truck toppling and descending upon the smaller vehicle, crushing it beneath its weight.
The driver of the Toyota saloon car was entrapped in the mangled wreckage.
LASTMA personnel and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in collaboration with public-spirited bystanders, were able to extricate the remains of the driver from the debris. His wife, seated in the front seat position however 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 by an ambulance service deployed by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) for immediate medical and mortuary procedures.
The driver of the articulated truck fled the scene immediately upon witnessing the recovery of the deceased victim, thereby evading arrest.
Operatives of the Akodo Police Division maintained law and order and cordoned off the vicinity throughout the duration of the rescue and recovery operations.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki condoled the bereaved family. He said the incident is a distressing and preventable tragedy.
He extended earnest prayers for the full recovery of the injured spouse, while reaffirming the Agency’s resolute commitment to the rigorous enforcement of traffic statutes, particularly against reckless driving, mechanical dereliction and egregious violations of established road safety protocols.
In a separate yet equally alarming occurrence, a 33,000-litre fuel tanker busted into flames at midnight around Ile-Zik, Ikeja Along, on the Lagos–Abeokuta Expressway.
The tanker fire
The LASTMA Rescue Team, in seamless synergy with the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, responded with remarkable promptitude and professional dexterity, successfully containing and extinguishing the inferno before it could escalate into a large-scale disaster.
To guarantee unobstructed emergency access and operational efficiency, LASTMA personnel immediately diverted vehicular traffic into the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor, thereby preserving public safety while minimizing disruption. Upon the successful conclusion of firefighting and recovery exercises, the affected corridor was duly reopened, restoring the free flow of vehicular movement.
