Tragedy as truck plunges off Agege Pen Cinema bridge in Lagos
A truck carrying goods on Saturday morning lost control and fell from the Agege bridge in Lagos, resulting in serious injury of the driver.
An eyewitness said that the accident may have occured due to over speeding at a sharp bend on the bridge.
The incident sparked questions about the safety of the bridge and the vehicles using it.
Confirming the incident, the Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Adebayo Taofiq, in a statement, said the accident involved a fully-laden truck and two painted commercial Volkswagen buses.
Taofiq explained that the truck driver, who suffered grievous fractures to both hands, lost control of the vehicle while navigating the Pen Cinema Bridge, adding that the truck plunged from the bridge, landing upon the two commercial buses stationed beneath.
” LASTMA Officers, responding with remarkable alacrity, successfully extricated the severely injured driver and immediately entrusted him to officers of the Elere Police Division. He was subsequently conveyed to the General Hospital, Ile-Epo, for urgent medical intervention.
“In a bid to safeguard other road users and forestall secondary incidents, LASTMA personnel swiftly secured the accident site by cordoning off the area and diverting vehicular traffic. Thereafter, operatives of the LASEMA Response Unit expeditiously cleared the wreckage, thereby restoring unimpeded traffic flow along the axis”, said Taofiq.
Expressing profound concern, the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, admonished all motorists particularly truck operators to exhibit heightened vigilance and circumspection, especially with the onset of the rainy season.
He further underscored the imperative of strict compliance with extant road safety protocols and enjoined drivers to adhere to the newly installed speed-limiting devices, a measure strategically deployed to mitigate accidents and promote collective road safety.
Bakare-Oki also extended heartfelt wishes for the rapid and full recovery of the injured driver.
