An elderly man travelling in the front cabin of a heavily loaded truck has died after the vehicle overturned around the TREM axis of Gbagada, inward Oshodi, in Lagos State, according to the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).
The crash happened at midnight going into Sunday and involved a Mercedes-Benz truck with six tyres, registration number ABJ 37 AC. LASTMA said the truck was carrying a mix of goods, among them many sealed bags and event chairs that had just been branded.
What LASTMA says happened
In a statement released on Sunday, LASTMA General Manager Olalekan Bakare-Oki explained the sequence of events. Daily Post quoted him as saying:
"Security findings indicate that the truck, which was conveying assorted consignments, including numerous sealed bags and newly branded event chairs, was travelling at considerable speed when its front tyre suddenly burst."
"This resulted in the driver losing control of the vehicle."
"In the ensuing struggle to stabilise the truck, an elderly male passenger seated in the front cabin was flung out of the vehicle and struck his head against a sharp object."
"The impact proved fatal, resulting in his instantaneous death," he said.
Punch, reporting on the same incident, said the statement was issued by Adebayo Taofiq, LASTMA's Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment, and described the account of the crash as based on preliminary findings. The identity of the dead passenger and of the driver were not given in any of the reports, and nothing was said about the driver's condition.
Rescue at midnight
According to the agency, its Night Rescue Team was already patrolling major routes across Lagos when the crash occurred, and quickly moved to the spot, sealing off the area. Bakare-Oki said in the statement:
"The operatives immediately evacuated the deceased from the busy carriageway into a Lagos State Emergency Medical Services, SEHMU, ambulance."
"The action thereby eliminated further exposure of the victim and prevented the possibility of another catastrophic incident involving approaching motorists."
"The rescue and traffic management operations received substantial inter-agency support, with personnel from Pedro Police Division providing essential security reinforcement."
"Also, officers of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service participated in the emergency response," he said.
LASTMA officials also put down traffic cones and warning signs around the wreck so that oncoming drivers could see the danger in time and traffic could keep moving safely past the scene.
