The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) efficiently coordinated traffic control and emergency response following a tragic road accident over the weekend at New Castle Bus Stop inward Gbagada along the Oworonsoki-Apapa Expressway, Lagos.
In a statement signed by Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq, a Volkswagen commercial bus (LSD 654 XY) veered off course and crashed violently into a roadside culvert. The impact ejected a female passenger onto the expressway and left six others with serious injuries, including multiple fractures.
Tragically, an oncoming articulated trailer was unable to avoid the passenger, resulting in her immediate death.
LASTMA operatives monitoring traffic in the Gbagada area responded promptly, activating a comprehensive emergency traffic management protocol. To prevent secondary accidents, officials temporarily cordoned off the expressway, facilitating the safe evacuation of the deceased, the six injured passengers, and the wrecked vehicle.
The six injured, including the bus driver, sustained severe injuries, while the trailer driver reportedly fled the scene.Security personnel from the Pedro Police Division provided critical support, maintaining order while LASTMA coordinated rescue operations.
Officials from the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) swiftly transported the six injured victims, including the driver with a fractured leg, to a nearby hospital for urgent treatment. Meanwhile, the Lagos State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU) carefully removed the remains of the deceased passenger.
Following the evacuation, LASTMA cleared the corridor and restored normal traffic flow along the expressway.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed profound condolences to the family of the deceased and prayed for their strength during this difficult time.
He also wished the injured passengers a swift and full recovery. Bakare-Oki reiterated LASTMA’s commitment to ongoing public safety campaigns and emphasized the responsibility of vehicle owners and commercial transport operators to maintain their vehicles, particularly braking systems, to prevent accidents.
“Routine vehicle maintenance is an indispensable safeguard against preventable accidents and a critical measure to protect lives on our highways,” he said.
