MOTORIST KILLED, WIFE CRITICALLY INJURED AS GRANITE-LADEN TRUCK CRUSHES CAR IN LAGOS

Read Time:1 Minute, 28 Second

By Aishat Momoh. O.

A motorist was killed on Thursday morning while his wife sustained critical injuries after a granite-laden articulated truck toppled onto their Toyota saloon car at Eleko Junction along the Lekki–Ajah Expressway in Lagos State.

The incident was confirmed in a statement issued by the Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Adebayo Taofiq.

According to the statement, preliminary security briefings indicated that the truck, heavily loaded with granite and travelling at excessive speed from the Epe axis, suffered a catastrophic brake failure as it approached Eleko Junction.

“The mechanical failure precipitated an abrupt loss of vehicular control, causing the truck to career off its designated path and collide forcefully with a Toyota saloon car travelling from Ajah inward Epe,” the statement read in part.

LASTMA disclosed that the impact of the collision caused the truck to overturn and crush the smaller vehicle, trapping the driver inside the wreckage.

Officials of LASTMA and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), with assistance from bystanders, rescued the victims from the wreckage. However, the male driver was confirmed dead at the scene, while his wife sustained life-threatening injuries and was rushed to a medical facility for urgent treatment.

The agency further revealed that the truck driver fled the scene immediately after the crash. Operatives of the Akodo Police Division were said to have provided security during the rescue operation.

Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, described the crash as avoidable. He urged motorists, particularly truck drivers, to prioritise regular vehicle maintenance and strictly adhere to speed regulations to prevent similar tragedies.

He also warned against reckless driving, stressing the need for heightened road safety compliance across the state.