Fleeing One Way Truck Driver Kills Motorcyclist
By Felix Kuyinu
A commercial motorcyclist has died on the spot having been rammed by an unidentified overspeeing truck driver in an incident which happened at Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
In an information provided by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, the ommercial tricycle rider died after a head-on collision with a Sports Utility Vehicle reportedly driving against traffic at the Origan, Oko-Afo.
A statement released by LASTMA on Sunday by its spokesperson Adebayo Taofiq, the SUV driver, whose vehicle bore a customized number plate “OSUNFNKE,” was fleeing on a one-way route from Ile-Epo when he collided with the oncoming tricycle with the registration number MUS 716 QM.
Taofiq confirmed that the tricyclist sustained severe injuries, including a critical knee dislocation, and died at the scene.
He said,”The grievous accident involved a commercial tricycle bearing registration number MUS 716 QM and a Mercedes-Benz 4MATIC Sports Utility Vehicle with the customized license plate ‘OSUNFNKE.
“Preliminary intelligence gathered from the scene indicates that the SUV operator was driving in contravention of established traffic protocols,willfully navigating against the legally designated flow of traffic, colloquially known as ‘One-Way’—from Ile-Epo towards Oko-Afo.
“The tricycle operator sustained multiple traumatic injuries, including a critical knee dislocation, and was confirmed dead at the scene.”
Taofiq also noted that the SUV driver fled the scene immediately after the crash, leaving behind the vehicle and the deceased victim.
“In a shocking act of cowardice and moral negligence, the SUV driver fled the scene immediately, abandoning both his vehicle and the lifeless body of his victim.”
Taofik relayed that following a distress call by eyewitness, officers of the agency arrived promptly at the scene, secured the area, and escalated the case to officers from the Morogbo Division of the Nigeria Police Force.
The Federal Road Safety Corps also assisted by conveying the bodies to the mortuary at the General Hospital, Badagry, while the damaged tricycle and the SUV were handed over to the police for further investigation and possible prosecution.
General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, reacted to the incident saying , “This is a direct violation of public safety.
“This lamentable loss of life is an unfortunate testament to the deadly ramifications of impunity on our roads.”
