A yet-to-be-identified driver of an articulated truck sustained fractures in both arms after the truck he was driving plunged from the Pen Cinema Bridge located in the Agege area of Lagos State and fell on two commercial buses on Saturday.
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Adebayo Taofiq, confirmed the incident in a statement on Saturday.
According to Taofiq, the driver of the truck lost control while attempting to navigate his way on the bridge, leading to the truck falling off the bridge.
He said, “The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority hereby notifies the general public of a grave road traffic incident that transpired earlier today along Agege, Old Abeokuta Road, involving a fully-laden truck (registration number: GGE 624 YJ) and two painted commercial Volkswagen buses.
“Preliminary enquiries suggest that the truck driver, who suffered grievous fractures to both hands, lost control of the vehicle while navigating the Pen Cinema Bridge. Consequently, the truck plunged from the bridge, landing upon the two commercial buses stationed beneath.
“LASTMA Officers, responding with remarkable alacrity, successfully extricated the severely injured driver and immediately entrusted him to officers of the Elere Police Division. He was subsequently conveyed to the General Hospital, Ile-Epo, for urgent medical intervention.”
Taofiq noted that the area was cordoned off by LASTMA operatives to prevent a secondary accident while officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency cleared the road of the wreckage.
Reacting to the incident, the LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed sympathy to the injured driver while urging motorists to always exercise caution and vigilance.
“He further underscored the imperative of strict compliance with extant road safety protocols and enjoined drivers to adhere to the newly installed speed-limiting devices, a measure strategically deployed to mitigate accidents and promote collective road safety.
“Bakare-Oki also extended heartfelt wishes for the rapid and full recovery of the injured driver,” the statement noted.
