- Safiu Kehinde
A tricycle operator has been crushed to death with two others severely injured in a multiple crash in Lagos.
The tragic incident which reportedly occurred on Wednesday at Ekoro Junction inward Ile-iwe, claimed the life of the tricycle operator who died on the spot while the two other injured victims were rescued.
Confirming the incident in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Adebayo Tijani, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) disclosed that the multi-collision involved a six-tyre trailer (AGL 514 XD), Honda Pilot (FST 992 DV), Toyota Camry (EKY 753 JA), and an unregistered tricycle.
According to the statement, preliminary investigations by security operatives revealed that the calamity was triggered by a mechanical brake failure in the fully loaded trailer, whose driver consequently lost operational control of the vehicle.
The trailer, in its uncontrollable descent, crushed the tricycle beyond recognition, before colliding with a Honda Pilot and eventually vaulting over the median to smash into a Toyota Camry and adjacent property on the opposing lane.
In the wake of the incident, LASTMA officials promptly rescued the two severely trapped victims after confirming the instantaneous death of the tricycle operator.
The accident scene was immediately cordoned off to forestall secondary incidents and facilitate a seamless emergency operation.
Meanwhile body of the deceased operator as well as the injured victims were handed over to Police officers from the Ile-Epo Police Division.
The injured victims were taken to the General Hospital, Ile-Epo, for urgent medical attention with the deceased victim also deposited in the morgue proper procedural documentation.
Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed grief, describing the incident as both tragic and wholly preventable.
He emphasized that such accidents could be averted through strict adherence to statutory speed limits and the regular maintenance of heavy-duty braking systems.
Bakare-Oki however extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family of the deceased tricycle operator, while offering prayers for the swift and complete recovery of the injured victims.