- Safiu Kehinde
Three people all belonging to the same family have lost their lives in a tragic road accident in Lagos.
The incident reportedly occurred in the early hours of Wednesday at the Secretariat inward Otedola Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
As confirmed in a statement issued by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), the incident involving three vehicles killed the family comprising of father, mother, and their young child, while two other victims sustained injuries.
“The tragic accident instantly claimed the lives of three members of the same family father, mother and their young child while two other victims sustained critical injuries underscoring the devastating consequences of reckless vehicular conduct.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the incident involved three vehicles (Audi, Toyota Camry & Toyota Corolla) initiated when a heavily loaded truck travelling at excessive speed violently struck one of the vehicles from the rear.
“The impact caused the vehicle to lose control, colliding with two additional moving vehicles thereby triggering the fatal chain-reaction accident.” The statement partly read.
LASTMA disclosed that the truck driver absconded immediately from the scene with his vehicle and evaded accountability for the fatal incident.
While the two critically injured victims trapped within the wreckage were rescued and conveyed by the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) for urgent medical attention, the three deceased family members, tragically trapped together, were handed over to the Lagos State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU) for immediate evacuation.
Other surviving injured victims were rushed to the Lagos State Emergency and Trauma Centre, Toll-Gate to receive comprehensive medical care.
Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki expressed profound sorrow over what he described as the “unbearable and irreplaceable loss of an entire family.”
He prayed for divine comfort for the bereaved relatives and urged them to summon fortitude amidst their unimaginable grief.
The LASTMA boss also extended heartfelt wishes for the swift and complete recovery of the injured victims commending the rapid and coordinated efforts of all emergency responders at the scene.
While lamenting the preventable nature of the incident, Mr. Bakare-Oki reiterated LASTMA’s warning against reckless speeding particularly by drivers of articulated and heavily loaded trucks.
He emphasized that excessive speed remains one of the most lethal contributors to road fatalities and urged motorists to exercise extreme caution, adhere strictly to speed regulations and cultivate defensive driving practices along highways.