By Yetunde Awe
A truck driver lost both legs while four people were killed and 13 passengers critically injured in a collision between a truck and a commercial bus on Alaro City Bridge, inward T-Junction, Epe, Lagos State.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, said in a statement on Wednesday that the crash occurred on the single-lane bridge, where the truck rammed into a fully loaded commercial bus, leaving several victims trapped in the wreckage.
Four people, including the commercial bus driver, died in the collision, while 13 other passengers sustained critical injuries. The truck driver also suffered severe injuries, with both legs severed and trapped in the wreckage.
“The truck driver also suffered grievous bodily trauma, sustaining the traumatic severance of both legs, which became trapped within the mangled wreckage following the collision,” the statement said.
LASTMA said its operatives, with support from the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, evacuated the bodies of the four deceased victims to a mortuary.
The Lagos State Ambulance Service, LASAMBUS, transported the 13 critically injured passengers to the nearest medical facility for urgent treatment.
Security personnel from the Epe Police Division also supported the rescue operation by providing security at the scene and ensuring the exercise proceeded in an orderly manner.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed condolences to the families of the deceased, describing the loss of lives as profoundly distressing.
He sympathised with the bereaved families and wished the injured victims a speedy and full recovery.
Bakare-Oki also stressed the need for motorists to drive responsibly and obey traffic regulations, particularly when using bridges, narrow roads and other restricted sections where reckless driving could lead to fatal accidents.
Meanwhile, LASTMA said its officers had introduced traffic management measures along the affected route to ease congestion, regulate vehicle movement and gradually restore normal traffic flow.
The authority added that its personnel remained on the corridor to manage the traffic backlog and ensure the orderly movement of vehicles.
LASTMA reaffirmed its commitment to protecting lives, promoting road safety and responding promptly to traffic incidents through collaboration with relevant emergency response and security agencies.
The authority urged motorists to exercise caution, maintain safe following distances, observe speed limits and avoid dangerous driving manoeuvres, especially on bridges and narrow roads where careless driving could result in loss of lives.
