A family of three — a father, mother and their young child — lost their lives in the early hours of Wednesday in a devastating multi-vehicle crash on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has confirmed. Two other victims sustained life-threatening injuries.
In a statement by LASTMA’s Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment, Adebayo Taofiq, the incident occurred near Secretariat, inward Otedola Bridge, when a speeding, heavily loaded truck rammed into an Audi car from behind. The force of the impact pushed the Audi into the path of two other vehicles — a Toyota Camry and a Toyota Corolla — sparking a fatal chain-reaction collision.
According to the statement, the three family members died instantly, a tragedy LASTMA described as a grim reminder of the deadly consequences of reckless driving on Nigerian highways.
Taofiq added that the truck driver fled the scene with his vehicle, abandoning the victims and evading arrest.
LASTMA personnel, in collaboration with the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), rescued the two critically injured victims and transported them to the Lagos State Emergency and Trauma Centre at Toll-Gate for urgent treatment. The remains of the deceased were handed over to the Lagos State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit.
Security operatives from the Isheri Olowora Police Division, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and the Lagos Fire and Rescue Service also assisted with rescue efforts and traffic control.
LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, described the incident as “unbearable and irreplaceable,” calling on motorists — especially drivers of heavily loaded trucks — to desist from speeding and other reckless behaviours.
He commended the swift and coordinated response of all emergency agencies involved in managing the aftermath of the crash.
