Avoidable Lagos train accident: Forestalling reoccurrence
The tragic incident of a train that collided with a government-owned bus that had Lagos State staff members going to work last Thursday, 6th of March was such a sad but avoidable accident.
The incident that happened around PWD bus stop along Oshodi-Agege motor road claimed no less than six lives according to reports. Some other occupants of the bus sustained various levels of injuries.
The accident involved a commercial train belonging to Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) and a bus of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) with registration no 04A- 48LA, loaded with some Lagos State Government staff members.
The BRT driver was reported to be crossing the rail on its way to Ikeja GRA in order to link the Lagos State Secretariat when the unfortunate incident happened.
The Permanent Secretary of Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), Dr. Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu said, “Investigation gathered revealed that the immediate cause of the incident was due to reckless driving on the part of the BRT bus driver while trying to beat the train traffic signal before the moving train rammed into the BRT bus.”
Corroborating this, the Managing Director, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Mr Fidel Okhiria, on Thursday explained that, “According to the information I gathered at the scene of the incident, many cars stopped when they got to the level crossing, while the Lagos State Staff Bus driver continued moving, which I don’t know why.
“Maybe the driver thought he could pass before the train got nearer to him. He could not pass, then the train crushed the bus; that is what we gathered,” Okhiria said.
He revealed further that the ill-fated train was coming from Ijoko (a suburb of Ogun State) to Iddo.
Okhiria appealed to motorists to consider the level crossing at all times, that when motorists get to the level crossing, they should not ignore the point where they should stop.
The driver of Lagos State Government Staff bus, Oluwaseun Osinbajo has pleaded with the accident victims to forgive him.
Osinbajo, a staff of Lagos State Ministry of Transport told some family members that visited him at the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department (SCIID) that, “It is a pity this has happened. I beg everyone affected to please forgive me in the name of God.” Then in defence of what happened, the driver has attributed the cause of the accident to a mechanical fault in the bus, the driver is further quoted saying, “It was not my fault. How could I have ignored warning signs? The bus had a mechanical fault.”
Meanwhile, some survivors of the accident insist that the driver had his earpiece on while driving and ignored the directive of the Flag Officers at the rail line.
However, the police have said they were still awaiting the outcome of the medical report, which includes a blood sample to ascertain if the driver was on drugs or mentally fit.
The Lagos Commissioner for Health , Professor Akin Abayomi, at a press conference on Friday disclosed that 32 survivors of the accident had been discharged from different hospitals.
He revealed that 19 survivors were discharged from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), five from the Toll Gate Trauma Centre and eight from Orile Agege General Hospital.
Senator Oluremi Tinubu who visited the hospital in company of Lagos State first lady, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, sympathised with the victims, describing the accident as unfortunate as well as calling for caution on the part of drivers.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, through his Special Assistant on Public Affairs, James Odaudu, has also directed the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau experts to commence an immediate investigation into the accident. The Minister described the accident as “unfortunate, and assured the public of the capacity of the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the accident and proffer ways of preventing such in the future,” which is what we should be talking of now
So also, the Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, has ordered an immediate investigation of the cause of the accident. He said, “I ordered an immediate and full investigation into the unfortunate incident.”
Can’t we embark on mandatory psychological test for all drivers that are driving most public and government cars, buses etc, and there is a constant briefing that it is not appropriate to take chances with the lives of the passengers in their care? What if the driver is checked every morning to check his psychological fitness before driving that day, especially given the myriads of challenges many go through in Nigeria today.
What if there had been a traffic light at that intersection where buses and cars are crossing the rail along the Ikeja axis or there is a barricade installed to block cars, buses from crossing the rail as soon as a train is in sight as the case used to be in the early days of the introduction of the rail system in Nigeria? Answers to these questions are vital to finding solution to reoccurrence.
Beyond condolence messages and setting up investigation committees, governments, its agencies and passengers must become active stakeholders in motoring and transportation in a metropolitan city like Lagos if we must prevent needless loss of lives in our country.
The Chartered Institute of Transport Administration (CIOTA), has called for barricade at all the rail tracks linked with roads. The President of CIOTA, Prince Segun Obayendo, said the barricades would be activated any time a train is approaching to stop all vehicles.
We need to be more proactive in stopping these needless causalities by taking preventive other than reactionary measures? Fatal train accidents had occurred in the past in Nigeria the latest being in December 2022 when a train from Kaduna crushed a middle age woman in Kubwa, Abuja.
More than half of all railroad accidents occur at unprotected crossings. More than 80 per cent of crossings lack adequate warning devices such as lights and gates. Adequate warning devices must be put in place at every rail crossing.
Most train accidents aren’t always the fault of the train operator or company. Sometimes, a reckless or distracted pedestrian can cause a collision by standing on or crossing the tracks at the wrong time.
In other scenarios, the driver of a car, truck, motorcycle or other motor vehicle can cause an accident by leaving their vehicle parked on a train track or trying to beat the train across a crossing. This is very wrong, as in the case of the one in question.
Accidents at unprotected railroad crossings are most often caused by: Poor visibility; Driver distraction; Driver inebriation/intoxication; Driver trying to race the train; Malfunctioning signals; Obstacles that block a driver’s view; Conductor failing to sound an alarm; and stalled cars on the track.
More common is when drivers stall out when slowing down to cross bumpy grades due to a poorly tuned engine. If this happens, the good thing to do is to try to start it again immediately. If it won’t start, the vehicle’s gear should be put in neutral and seek for help to push the vehicle off the tracks. But if a train is rapidly approaching and there’s no time to save your car, remember that your life and safety are first priority. Move away as far as possible from your vehicle.
Again, there is this peculiar attitude of hurriedness on Lagos roads. “Every road user must stop for me, I am in a hurry” syndrome. You begin to wonder where they’re hurrying to. Someone that has an appointment should know he should leave home or his point in good time, giving room for delay in the journey. Inability to exercise patience for one minute has cost many their lives. In doing that, they forget errors on the part of other road users. They fail to take into cognisance unforeseen mechanical or electrical problem. Road users, especially across rail lines should be more conscious.
Basically, barricades must be activated any time a train is approaching to stop all vehicles. So, in a case where a driver wants to behave funny, the barricades are there to put him on hold.
This kind of rail accident and loss of life would be prevented if all these precautions are being taken.
