The timely response of officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) prevented what would have been another major tragedy on Eko bridge yesterday as a result of a collision between a loaded cement truck and an LT Commercial bus, though the driver of the commercial bus later died in the hospital.
Officials of LASTMA successfully rescued the seriously injured commercial bus driver and conductor from the carnage and ferried them to the hospital.
According to the Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, the incident occurred when the driver of the loaded cement truck lost control due to brake failure, resulting in a collision with the moving LT Commercial bus.
The driver of the cement truck hastily fled the scene of the accident, but the driver and conductor of the commercial bus sustained serious injuries and were promptly transported to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
The LASTMA official, Zebra Oduyebo Afolabi, stationed at Zone 40, Apongbon/Ebute-Ero, confirmed that the rescue operation was conducted with the support of police personnel from the Iponrin Police Station to ensure the safety of all involved and the smooth flow of traffic.
Adebayo disclosed that “It was later confirmed that the driver of the LT Commercial bus eventually died at the hospital while receiving treatment.”
Present at the scene were key members of the LASTMA rescue team, including Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, the General Manager, and Mr. Hakeem Adeosun, the Director of Traffic Incidents, Event Monitoring, Enforcement, and Compliance.
Mr. Bakare-Oki while sympathising with the family of the deceased driver however, emphasized the importance of vehicle safety and urged all motorists, especially heavy truck drivers, to prioritise safety checks before embarking on journeys within or outside the state.