A driver and his assistant sustained serious injuries when the 40ft truck they were traveling in plunged off the Apapa bridge. The cause of the accident remains unknown, but initial reports suggest that it might be linked to overspeeding, causing the vehicle to skid off the bridge.
Confirming the incident, Taofiq Adebayo, the Director of Public Affairs Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, stated, “This morning, operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) rescued a severely injured driver and his assistant from an empty 40ft flatbed truck that fell off the high bridge toward Apapa.”
“The incident occurred as the overspeeding truck was ascending the high bridge directly opposite ‘Sifax’ Company by Ijora ‘Olopa’ toward Apapa. The injured driver, found in a pool of blood with a head injury, was rescued by LASTMA personnel, while the assistant suffered a significant waist fracture near his spinal cord.”
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the driver lost control due to brake failure while vying for ‘Right of Way’ (R.O.W) with another fully loaded truck attempting to ascend the High Bridge toward Apapa. Upon the unfortunate incident, other articulated truck drivers in the vicinity of ‘Sifax’ Company assisted LASTMA personnel in rescuing both the driver and the assistant trapped beneath the truck.”
“LASTMA’s Goriola Jimoh ‘Zebra’ (Zone 22) Apapa, who led the rescue operations, confirmed that the injured driver and assistant were promptly transported to the General Hospital in Apapa for immediate medical attention.”
“The damaged articulated truck was removed by the Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Response Unit, while LASTMA personnel handed over the case to the police at Ijora–Badia Police Station for further investigation.”
“LASTMA’s General Manager, Mr. Bakare Oki, appealed to owners of articulated trucks to conduct periodic safety training and awareness campaigns for their drivers, emphasizing the importance of adhering to road signs and speed limits when driving on highways within and outside the state.”
