Lagos, Nigeria – The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has efficiently coordinated emergency response and traffic control following a tragic road accident over the weekend at New Castle Bus Stop inward Gbagada along the Oworonsoki-Apapa Expressway.
Reports indicate that a Volkswagen commercial bus (LSD 654 XY) veered off course and collided violently with a roadside culvert. The impact ejected a female passenger onto the expressway, where she was tragically run over by an oncoming articulated trailer, resulting in her immediate death. Six other occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, sustained serious injuries, with multiple fractures. The driver of the trailer reportedly fled the scene.
LASTMA operatives monitoring traffic in the area responded promptly, activating a comprehensive emergency traffic management protocol to prevent secondary accidents. The expressway was temporarily cordoned off, allowing the safe evacuation of the deceased, the injured passengers, and the wrecked vehicle.
Security personnel from Pedro Police Division provided reinforcement, ensuring order around the accident site, while officials from the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) evacuated the six injured victims to nearby medical facilities for urgent treatment. The remains of the deceased were respectfully handled and removed by the Lagos State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU).
Following the successful evacuation and clearance, LASTMA restored normal traffic flow along the expressway.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, praying for strength to bear the loss, and wished a swift recovery for the six injured passengers. He reiterated the Authority’s commitment to ongoing public enlightenment campaigns promoting road safety consciousness across Lagos State.
Bakare-Oki emphasized the responsibility of vehicle owners and commercial transport operators to maintain their vehicles, particularly braking systems, as a critical measure to prevent accidents and safeguard human lives:
“Strict adherence to routine vehicle maintenance remains an indispensable safeguard against preventable road traffic accidents and a critical measure for the preservation of human lives on our highways.”
