The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) swiftly coordinated traffic control and emergency response following a tragic road accident that occurred over the weekend at New Castle Bus Stop, inward Gbagada, along the Oworonsoki–Apapa Expressway, Lagos.
Reports indicate that a Volkswagen commercial bus with registration number LSD 654 XY lost control and rammed into a roadside culvert along the corridor. The impact forcefully threw a female passenger out of the vehicle, leaving six others seriously injured with multiple fractures. In a tragic turn of events, an oncoming articulated trailer approaching the scene was unable to stop in time and ran over the passenger who had fallen on the expressway, leading to her instant death.
Operatives of LASTMA monitoring traffic around the Gbagada axis responded promptly by activating an emergency traffic management protocol at the accident scene. To prevent further accidents and ensure safety, officials temporarily cordoned off the expressway to allow for the evacuation of the deceased, the injured passengers, and the damaged commercial bus.
Six other occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, sustained severe injuries, while the driver of the articulated trailer reportedly fled the scene without stopping.
Security personnel from the Pedro Police Division arrived shortly after the incident to provide support for traffic officials and emergency responders, ensuring order at the scene.
Officials of the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) evacuated the six injured victims, including the driver who reportedly suffered a fractured leg, to a nearby hospital for urgent medical treatment. Personnel of the Lagos State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU) also removed the remains of the deceased female passenger from the scene.
Following the rescue operation, LASTMA officials cleared the wreckage and restored normal vehicular movement along the expressway.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed condolences to the family of the deceased and wished the injured victims a quick recovery. He also reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to continuous public enlightenment on road safety.
Bakare-Oki urged vehicle owners and commercial transport operators to ensure proper maintenance of their vehicles, especially the braking system, before embarking on any journey.
According to him, “Strict adherence to routine vehicle maintenance remains an essential safeguard against preventable road accidents and a critical measure for the protection of lives on our highways.”
Adebayo Taofiq
Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA
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