The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has identified excessive speeding and wrong-way driving as the causes of a road accident that claimed 10 lives on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway in the Abule Osun area on Tuesday night.
LASTMA spokesperson, Adebayo Taofiq, confirmed the incident during a phone interview on Wednesday, citing preliminary investigations.
According to reports, the crash involved a Toyota Sienna van carrying 10 passengers, including three children, and a parked granite-laden truck. The van collided with the truck, leading to the tragic deaths of seven adults and three children, while three others sustained critical injuries.
In a statement, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, revealed that the accident occurred when the speeding Sienna van failed to notice the parked truck obstructing part of the road.
“The truck had taken up a section of the road while delivering granite to a nearby construction site. The Sienna van, which was moving at high speed, crashed into the truck from behind,” Oke-Osanyintolu stated.
Further investigations by LASTMA revealed that the Sienna driver had swerved to avoid a minibus driving in the wrong direction, leading to a loss of control and the eventual collision. Taofiq added that the truck had been parked at the construction site entrance awaiting security clearance.
In response to the tragedy, LASTMA has held discussions with the construction company involved, urging them to minimize nighttime deliveries to prevent such incidents in the future.
LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed condolences to the victims’ families and stressed the importance of adhering to road safety regulations. “This accident could have been avoided if proper safety measures were followed. Motorists must always exercise caution and adhere to speed limits to prevent such tragedies,” he stated.
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