In the early hours of Sunday, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) operatives successfully rescued an injured driver and his ‘motor boy’ from an empty 40ft flatbed truck that had fallen off a high bridge on the route to Apapa in Lagos.
A press statement from Adebayo Taofiq, the Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment at LASTMA, confirmed that the accident resulted from over-speeding. The incident occurred as the truck attempted to climb the bridge directly across from SIFAX Company by Ijora Olopa, heading towards Apapa.
Taofiq stated, “The injured driver was rescued by LASTMA personnel, lying in a pool of blood with head injuries, while the motor boy sustained a serious waist fracture near his spinal cord.”
Preliminary investigations indicated that the driver lost control due to brake failure while contending for the ‘Right of Way’ (R.O.W) with another fully loaded truck ascending the High Bridge toward Apapa.
Upon the occurrence, fellow articulated truck drivers in the vicinity of SIFAX Company rallied to support LASTMA personnel in the rescue operation, lifting the trapped driver and motor boy from beneath the truck.
Goriola Jimoh ‘Zebra’ (Zone 22) Apapa, who led the rescue efforts, confirmed that the injured driver and his ‘motor boy’ were promptly transported to the General Hospital in Apapa for urgent medical attention.
The crashed truck was cleared by the LASTMA Response Unit (LRU), and the case was handed over to the police at Ijora-Badia Police Station for further investigation.
Bakare Oki, the General Manager of LASTMA, appealed to the owners of articulated trucks to conduct regular safety training and awareness campaigns for their drivers, emphasizing the importance of adhering to road signs and speed limits on highways both within and outside the state.