by Willy Okonji Lagos~
A motorist lost his life on Thursday morning while his wife was critically injured after a granite-laden truck toppled onto their Toyota saloon car at Eleko Junction along the Lekki–Ajah Expressway in Lagos State.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) confirmed the incident in a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment, Adebayo Taofiq.
“Preliminary security briefings reveal that an articulated truck, heavily burdened with granite and travelling at an inordinate speed from the Epe axis, was approaching Eleko Junction when it reportedly experienced a catastrophic brake malfunction,” Taofiq said.
He added that the failure caused the driver to lose control of the truck. “The mechanical failure precipitated an abrupt loss of vehicular control, causing the truck to career off its designated path and collide forcefully with a Toyota saloon car travelling from Ajah inward Epe,” the statement read.
LASTMA said the impact made the truck overturn and crush the smaller vehicle, trapping the driver inside the wreckage. Officials of the agency, alongside operatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and some bystanders, carried out a rescue operation.
“The victims were rescued, but the male driver was sadly confirmed dead at the scene, while his wife sustained life-threatening injuries and was rushed for urgent medical attention,” the agency stated.
According to LASTMA, the truck driver fled immediately after the crash, while officers from the Akodo Police Division provided security during the rescue and evacuation.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, described the tragedy as avoidable. “This unfortunate incident underscores the dangers of reckless driving and poor vehicle maintenance. We urge all motorists, especially truck drivers, to ensure their vehicles are in good condition before taking to the roads and to always drive responsibly,” he said.
