A truck fell off the Pen Cinema flyover bridge in Agege, Lagos State, on Saturday, landing on commercial and private vehicles.
The truck crushed the two mini-buses on which it landed in the accident that occurred inward Old Abeokuta Road, according to the initial update provided by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) on Saturday.
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The transport agency confirmed that the incident occurred at 8:37 a.m. on Saturday, but did not immediately state if there were any fatalities or injuries.
“Recovery of the affected vehicles has been swiftly initiated,” the agency said in a statement, adding, “LASTMA personnel and other emergency responders are very much on ground to maintain decorum.”
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In a later update, LASTMA announced that the accident involved not only two mini-buses but also five commercial buses and two private vehicles — a Toyota Camry and a Sienna bus.
Preliminary investigations suggested that the truck, which was carrying two large containers, suffered brake failure while moving at high speed. The driver lost control, causing the containers to detach and crash onto nearby vehicles, resulting in severe damage and casualties.
Adebayo Taofiq, Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment at LASTMA, explained that the truck driver suffered grievous fractures to both hands after losing control of the vehicle.
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He was rescued, handed over to officers of the Elere Police Division, and later taken to the General Hospital, Ile-Epo, for urgent medical attention.
As at press time, LASTMA has not announced the numbers of people who sustained injuries and fatalities. However, the agency said the truck driver suffered compound fractures in both his arm and leg.
LASTMA stated that emergency responders from the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) transported him to the General Hospital in Isolo.
LASTMA, working alongside officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), said it conducted rescue operations and cleared the wreckage to restore normal traffic flow along the axis.
Officers from the Ijesha-Tedo Police Division were also deployed to maintain order.
Commenting on the accident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, advised motorists, especially truck drivers, to exercise greater caution with the onset of the rainy season.
He stressed the importance of adhering to road safety protocols and complying with the newly installed speed-limiting devices to curb road accidents.
He also wished the injured driver a speedy recovery.
LASTMA urged residents to contact the agency’s toll-free hotline, 0800 00 527 862, for prompt traffic assistance or emergencies.
Major concern
Road accidents involving trucks have reached a feverish level in Lagos State, with the crashes often blamed on numerous factors including, poor vehicle maintenance, driver fatigue, speeding and reckless driving, and overloading, among others.
For instance, LASTMA reportedly recorded more than 100 articulated truck accidents between January and July 2022.
One recent incidents occurred in March 2024, when a truck owned by the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) lost control while crossing the Shitta Bridge in Surulere, crushing a Kia Salon car, a commercial bus, and a tricycle below.
READ ALSO: PHOTOS: Traffic jam on Lagos-Ibadan expressway as container truck crashes
The impact of that accident caused the compactor of the truck to detach, leading to the death of a yet-to-be-identified tricycle rider.
Earlier, PREMIUM TIMES had also reported a crash along the Cele Expressway inward Oshodi, where a 40-foot containerised truck killed one person and injured five others.
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