Kunle Awosiyan
A 38-year-old survivor of the ill-fated train-BRT Bus Accident of March 9, 2023, Ogundeji Rotimi has told Lagos High Court how he was rescued from the incident.
Speaking before Justice Oyindamola Ogala of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, Rotimi who is a civil servant with the state government said he woke up to find his bone on the floor on the fateful day.
Recall that a train collided with 70-seat-capacity BRT Bus, killing about four passengers at the PWD area of Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
Rotimi who works with Lagos Government Water Regulation Commission told the court that he joined the blue BRT bus coming from Ikotun, Ejigbo at Isolo area of the state.
As he put it, “I dosed off a few minutes after I entered the bus heading to Lagos government secretariat, Alausa but couldn’t reach my destination due to the accident.
Led-in-evidence by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Dr Babajide Martins, the first witness, Rotimi said the loud noise of the other passengers in the bus woke him up and before he could pull himself together the train was already by his window side.
” The next thing I saw was my bone on the floor. I also saw three people in the bus. The scream was very loud and I was sitting two row
behind the driver. One of the passengers in the bus stood up and I told him to help me pick my phone. So later, two men came in to the bus to stretcher me out.
He further told court that he knew a car stopped and conveyed them to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).
“At LASUTH, a doctor pushed the bone back inside and surgery was done a week after,” said.
He was therefore cross-examined by the defence counsel, Mr. Lekan Egberongbe, the witness confirmed to the court that he knew the bus driver as a hard working and committed person.
“He had never had accident with the bus apart from this recent one. I was sleeping when the accident happened,” he stated.
Also, a Vehicle Inspection Officer (VIO), Mr. Ahmed Baruwa testified that he inspected the remnant of the BRT after it was tolled to Task Force Office in Alausa, adding that the bus was electronically and mechanically built.
According to him, an official mobile phone was connected to the HP laptop and a HP Printer to make report of investigation.
“The driver was supposed to carry 40 passengers sitting while 30 standing but there were 85 passengers in the bus on that day, he said.
When he was cross-examined, the witness told court that he was not at the scene of the accident when it happened and that he was not in the forensic department of VIO.
The prosecution tendered the Lagos State VIO road inspection report and was admitted as exhibit.
Justice Ogala subsequently adjourned the case to June 16, 2023 for ruling on defendant’s bail application and also continuation of trial.
The driver of the bus, Mr. Oluwaseun Osibanjo had since been charged by the state government for manslaughter.
