Lagos truck crushes 2 to death

By Faheem Lawal

Tragedy struck at the weekend in Lagos after an unnamed driver of a fully loaded truck crushed a yet-to-be-identified pedestrian to death along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

A motorcyclist who gave the killer driver a hot chase in order to bring him to justice was also crushed by the truck.

A statement to that effect signed by Taofiq Adebayo, spokesperson for LASTMA, said the driver was later apprehended and handed over to the police along the corridor.

He added: “The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority at the weekend confirmed the occurrence of a devastating fatal road traffic incident involving a heavily loaded bucket truck, which tragically claimed the lives of an innocent pedestrian and a motorcyclist along the Iyana-Iba Flyover inward the main gate of Lagos State University on the main carriageway of the Badagry Expressway.

“Preliminary findings revealed that the fully loaded bucket truck was reportedly travelling at top speed from Volkswagen inward Badagry when the driver fatally knocked down an innocent pedestrian.

“Rather than bringing the vehicle to an immediate halt after the initial impact, the truck driver recklessly continued his movement along the corridor.

“In a courageous yet tragic attempt to intercept the fleeing vehicle, a motorcyclist, accompanied by another sympathiser, pursued the truck with the intention of compelling the driver to stop and face the consequences of his actions.

“However, in a shocking turn of events, the truck driver rammed violently into the motorcycle during the pursuit, resulting in the instantaneous death of the motorcyclist, while the accompanying sympathiser miraculously escaped unhurt.

“Operatives of the LASTMA Night Gang Surveillance and Monitoring Patrol Team, who were strategically deployed along the Badagry Expressway corridor for routine all-night traffic monitoring and emergency response operations, swiftly arrived at the scene and undertook the painstaking evacuation of the deceased motorcyclist whose body had become trapped beneath the front wheel tyre of the bucket truck.

“The truck driver was immediately apprehended by vigilant LASTMA officials and subsequently handed over to security operatives attached to the PPL Police Post, Okokomaiko, alongside officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps Accident and Emergency Response Team for further investigation and necessary legal procedures.

“While the remains of the deceased motorcyclist were evacuated by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, the corpse of the innocent pedestrian earlier killed by the truck was respectfully handed over to his grieving relatives who later arrived at the accident scene after being duly informed of the unfortunate tragedy.

“Furthermore, both the loaded bucket truck and the severely damaged motorcycle involved in the incident were evacuated to the PPL Police Post, Okokomaiko, pending the conclusion of comprehensive investigations into the catastrophic occurrence.”