One D£@d, Four Injur£d In Third Mainland Bridge Accident
On Monday Morning, one person was confirmed d£@d, and four were injured in a fatal accident involving a J5 Ford bus and a Mercedes truck close to Ilubirin inward Sura, along the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
The accident involved a J5 Ford bus loaded with pepper, among other perishable goods, that had a sudden brake failure while in motion at a great speed and collided forcefully with a Mercedes truck on the road. The LASTMA officials, led by its General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, immediately swung into a rescue operation upon their arrival.
Adebayo Taofiq, LASTMA’s Director of Public Affairs, in a statement, said five persons were involved in the accident. Of this number, one lost his life, while four persons were rescued and rushed to the General Hospital on the Lagos Island for urgent medical treatment. The rescue intervention was carried out with the involvement of various emergency responders, including teams from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency-LASEMA, the Federal Road Safety Corps-FRSC, and the Nigerian Police Force.
Eyewitness accounts showed the severity of the crash as responders struggled to free victims from the mangled wreckage. The place was cleaned up to prevent further disruption of activities. The goods that fell off the bus were also cleared off the road to ensure the smooth passage of vehicles along the usually busy bridge. However, the accident caused traffic right from the scene of the accident down to the Unilag waterfront.
Bakare Oki sympathized with the families of the victims, warning drivers to be aware of road safety, especially during this festive period. “We strongly advise against speeding and call for regular maintenance of vehicles, especially checking of the brake system to avoid such avoidable accidents,” he added.
The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa also added that drivers needed to be careful, especially on key roads like Third Mainland Bridge, when the roads were congested.
This incident has brought into focus the challenge of road safety in Lagos, as authorities renew calls for road users to be conscious of traffic rules and the good condition of their vehicles. With the holidays imminent and an expected increase in traffic flow, this tragedy adds to the growing need to raise awareness and put measures in place that reduce accidents on highways.
