A physically challenged beggar lost his life on Saturday after a container-laden truck reportedly suffered brake failure and rammed into two vehicles before crushing the victim along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State.
The fatal crash occurred at Car Park C on the outbound section of the expressway and involved a Mack container truck with registration number AGL 374 XX, a loaded DAF truck marked AKM 476 XB, and a white Toyota bus with registration number AKD 137 YA.
The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) confirmed the incident in a statement issued by its Head of Media, Babatunde Akinbiyi. He said eyewitnesses attributed the crash to brake failure by the Mack truck as it approached a turning point.
According to Akinbiyi, the truck collided with vehicles attempting to negotiate the turn before fatally hitting the wheelchair-bound beggar.
“According to eyewitness accounts, the Mack truck had a brake failure and hit vehicles negotiating a turning, and a beggar on wheelchair, slicing his body,” he said.
He added that the accident caused severe traffic disruption on the outbound Lagos route, with TRACE operatives, the Federal Road Safety Corps and police personnel deployed to manage the situation and restore normal traffic flow.
The incident came barely 24 hours after multiple crashes on the Kara Bridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway claimed one life and left two others injured, further raising concerns over road safety on the busy highway.
