Driver dies after colliding with stationary bus on Lagos expressway

One person died Monday morning after his car, a Toyota Highlander, collided with a commercial bus illegally stopping along the Lagos–Badagry Expressway at Mile 2 in Lagos State.

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The deceased person’s car with registration number APP 150 EY crashed into a painted T4 commercial bus marked KJA 328 XH.

In a report by The Punch Newspaper, eyewitnesses said the Highlander, reportedly travelling at high speed, lost control and rammed into the stationary bus with devastating force, killing the driver instantly.

Officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) arrived at the scene shortly after the crash, extricated the lifeless body from the mangled vehicle, and handed it over to the Ojo Police Division.

The remains were later deposited at C-Niger Mortuary, Abule Ado.

The collision caused heavy traffic along the busy Mile 2 corridor, but LASTMA officers quickly cleared the wreckage and towed the vehicles to the Ojo Police Division for further investigation.

Reacting to the incident, LASTMA General Manager Olalekan Bakare-Oki commiserated with the deceased’s family and urged motorists to avoid reckless driving and excessive speed.

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He also condemned the practice of commercial drivers picking up passengers indiscriminately along the road, stressing that government-designated bus stops must be strictly observed.

“The sanctity of human life must never be compromised by recklessness on our highways. We shall continue to intensify enforcement and sustain public enlightenment campaigns to prevent needless tragedies,” Mr Bakare-Oki said.

Perennial road accidents

The Lagos crash follows a series of serious road accidents in Lagos and different parts of the country. No fewer than 19 people narrowly escaped death in an accident at the Car Park C turning along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State on Sunday.

According to Babatunde Akinbiyi, spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), the crash occurred at about 10:20 a.m. and involved a Mazda passenger bus (YYY 563 XB) and a Toyota Jeep (MUS 828 AU). Excessive speed caused the Mazda bus to lose control, collide with the Jeep, and skid off the road.

Nineteen people—12 females and seven males—were involved, with 12 sustaining varying degrees of injuries. Three of the injured were rescued to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, while nine others with minor injuries were treated at the scene.

TRACE, the FRSC, and the police were on the ground to monitor traffic, and the accident vehicles were towed for further investigation.

This follows a similar fatal crash last Wednesday in the Ipara area of Remo, Ogun State, where a N30,000 car race wager led to the deaths of five people.

A source told Punch Newspaper that a participant lost control during the race and crashed into a nearby shop, killing himself, two passengers, and two bystanders.

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On Sunday, three persons were reportedly killed in Auchi, Edo State, in an accident involving two trucks, one belonging to Dangote Cement, another unidentified truck, and a GLK Benz.

In July, no fewer than 21 persons lost their lives while three others sustained various degrees of injury in an auto crash at Kasuwar Dogo in Dakatsalle, along the Zaria-Kano Highway.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the nation’s leading regulator in charge of road safety across the country, blame incessant accidents on roads on challenges including cultural conflicts, ineffective implementation of the law, poor road Infrastructure and non-road worthy vehicles.