A man, his wife and their young child died on Wednesday in a multiple accident around the Secretariat end of the Otedola Bridge on the Lagos Ibadan Expressway.
Two other persons were critically injured in the early morning crash which involved a speeding truck and three cars.
The spokesperson of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Adebayo Taofiq, confirmed the incident and described it as a painful loss.
According to him, “The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority is profoundly grieved to report a catastrophic multi vehicle collision that occurred in the early hours of today at Secretariat inward Otedola Bridge along the Lagos Ibadan Expressway.”
He explained that the accident was caused by excessive speed. “Preliminary investigations revealed that the incident involved an Audi, Toyota Camry and Toyota Corolla. It was 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 and collide with two additional moving vehicles which triggered the fatal chain reaction,” he said.
Adebayo added that the truck driver fled the scene. “In a disturbing development, the truck driver absconded immediately from the scene with his vehicle, leaving the victims in peril and evading accountability for the fatal incident.”
Emergency workers from LASTMA, LASAMBUS, LASEMA, FRSC, SEHMU and the Lagos Fire and Rescue Service responded swiftly, rescuing the injured and recovering the bodies of the three family members who died. The injured were taken to the Lagos State Emergency and Trauma Centre at the Toll Gate for treatment.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare Oki, expressed sorrow over the tragedy. He described it as “an unbearable and irreplaceable loss of an entire family,” and prayed for comfort for their relatives. He also wished the injured victims a quick recovery.
Bakare Oki urged motorists to obey speed limits and drive responsibly. He noted that excessive speed remains a major cause of road fatalities and appealed to drivers of articulated and heavily loaded trucks to exercise restraint.
Security personnel from the Isheri Olowora Police Division were on ground to support the rescue operation, while LASTMA officials cleared the wreckage to prevent another accident.
The authorities say efforts are ongoing to track the fleeing truck driver.
