A tricyclist has died after a truck crashed into three vehicles at the Ekoro Junction along the Abule-Egba/Command Road in Lagos on Wednesday.
PUNCH Metro gathered from an eyewitness identified simply as Abiodun that the crash occurred in the early hours of the day.
According to him, the trailer lost control and rammed into a tricycle and two other vehicles.
He said the impact of the collision crushed the tricyclist’s head and left two other drivers injured.
Abiodun said, “A ghastly accident occurred this morning, and it was a terrible sight. A trailer lost its brakes and rammed into a tricycle and two other vehicles at Ekoro Junction.
“The trailer crushed the tricyclist’s head, while about three others were severely injured. It was the police and LASTMA officers who came to evacuate the body and rescue the injured.”
Similarly, a police officer privy to the incident but not authorised to speak publicly told our correspondent that the injured persons were the drivers of the two other vehicles hit by the trailer.
The officer added that the tricyclist died instantly due to the impact of the collision.
Confirming the incident in a statement on Wednesday, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Adebayo Taofiq, said the crash resulted from brake failure.
According to Taofiq, the vehicles involved were a six-tyre trailer with registration number AGL 514 XD, a Honda Pilot (FST 992 DV), a Toyota Camry (EKY 753 JA), and an unregistered tricycle.
He stated, “Preliminary investigations by security operatives revealed that the accident was triggered by a mechanical brake failure in the fully loaded trailer, whose driver consequently lost control of the vehicle.
“The trailer, in its uncontrollable descent, crushed the tricycle beyond recognition before colliding with a Honda Pilot, vaulting over the median, and smashing into a Toyota Camry and nearby property on the opposite lane.
“Operatives of LASTMA arrived at the scene promptly, rescuing two severely trapped victims after confirming the instantaneous death of the tricycle operator. The scene was cordoned off to prevent secondary incidents and allow for emergency operations.”
Taofiq added that the crash caused temporary gridlock, which was later eased through diversion efforts by LASTMA officers.
Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed grief, describing the crash as tragic and preventable.
According to the statement, Bakare-Oki stated that the incident could have been avoided if there had been stricter adherence to speed limits.
“Mr. Bakare-Oki extends his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family of the deceased tricycle operator and prays for the swift recovery of the injured victims.
“He further admonishes all motorists, particularly operators of articulated and heavy-duty vehicles, to exercise utmost caution, ensure frequent mechanical inspections, and observe all safety protocols, stressing that reckless driving and mechanical negligence remain leading causes of preventable road tragedies in Lagos State,” Taofiq concluded.
Also commenting on the incident, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, disclosed that the truck was conveying beverages and bottled water when it fell on the tricycle that was parked by the roadside.
He noted that the tricyclist lost his life while two occupants of the two vehicles sustained injuries.
“Upon arrival of LRT at the incident scene, a Volkswagen truck registration number AGL 514 XD, laden with beverages and bottled water was found to have fallen on a tricycle AKA Keke NAPEP, at the above-mentioned location.
“Preliminary investigations conducted at the scene of the incident revealed that the truck suddenly suffered a mechanical error (brake failure) while descending the road, and all efforts by the driver to stop the truck proved abortive.
“Unfortunately, an adult male, driver of the tricycle, lost his life to the incident when the truck crashed into the parked tricycle and two other cars with unknown registration numbers,’ Oke-Osanyintolu stated.
Recurring incidents of trailer and truck crushing road users to death across different parts of the country have been on the rise in recent times.
PUNCH Metro reported on Monday that a cement truck crushed a minor to death while causing injuries to three others along the Ilaro-Ibese Expressway in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Similarly, PUNCH Metro reported on October 4 that five people lost their lives after a truck crushed a tricycle at the Alapoka axis of the Papalanto–Ilaro Road, Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State.
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