A driver lost his life in the early hours of Saturday after a Honda Pilot Sports Utility Vehicle somersaulted multiple times along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway in Lagos State.
A statement issued by the Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq, on Saturday, noted that the fatal lone accident occurred at Charity Bus Stop inward Iyana Isolo in the early hours of the day.
According to Taofiq, the driver died instantly after the vehicle reportedly lost control and overturned repeatedly before coming to a halt.
He stated that the impact of the crash left the vehicle badly mangled, trapping the driver inside the wreckage.
Taofiq noted that LASTMA personnel who were monitoring traffic around the Iyana Isolo axis responded immediately after the crash.
“Preliminary findings indicate that the Honda Pilot Sports Utility Vehicle involved in the incident suddenly lost control, causing it to overturn multiple times before coming to a devastating halt.
“The sheer magnitude of the impact led to the instantaneous death of the driver, whose body became trapped within the severely mangled remains of the vehicle,” the statement read.
According to Taofiq, LASTMA officials, in collaboration with personnel from the Mosafejo Police Division, removed the deceased from the wreckage while ensuring free flow of traffic along the corridor.
“LASTMA personnel, who were actively engaged in traffic monitoring and management duties within the Iyana Isolo axis at the time of the incident, responded expeditiously to the emergency.
“Demonstrating exceptional bravery and professionalism, the officers, working in concert with personnel from the Mosafejo Police Division, painstakingly extricated the deceased from the wreckage while simultaneously maintaining effective traffic control and preventing secondary collisions,” the statement added.
He disclosed further that officials of the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit later evacuated the remains of the deceased to a public mortuary, adding that the wrecked vehicle was handed over to police officers for further investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed condolences to the family of the deceased and urged motorists to exercise caution while driving.
Bakare-Oki also warned against reckless driving, excessive speeding and dangerous overtaking, stressing that road users should prioritise safety at all times.
“Motorists are strongly urged to eschew reckless driving, dangerous overtaking, excessive speeding and every form of traffic infraction capable of precipitating avoidable tragedies on our roads.
“The sanctity and preservation of human life must remain paramount in the conduct of every road user. No journey is so urgent as to justify compromising safety,” he stated.
Online reported on Friday that three people were burnt to death after a commercial bus had a tyre burst and somersaulted along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency had blamed the incident on speeding and loss of control.