Tragedy struck at Ekoro Junction, inward Ile-Iwe, Lagos State, on Wednesday when a tricycle operator was crushed to death and two others sustained critical injuries in a multiple-vehicle crash involving a trailer and three other vehicles.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) confirmed the incident, attributing the fatal collision to a mechanical brake failure in a six-tyre trailer fully loaded with goods. The out-of-control vehicle reportedly lost control while descending the busy road, resulting in a devastating impact.
According to a statement issued by Adebayo Taofiq, Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, preliminary investigations revealed that the trailer driver lost operational control after the brakes failed, leading to a series of collisions.
“Preliminary investigations by security operatives revealed that the tragedy was triggered by a mechanical brake failure in the fully loaded trailer, whose driver consequently lost operational control of the vehicle,” the statement read.
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The trailer, in its uncontrollable descent, scruhed an unregistered tricycle, instantly killing the operator, before ramming into a Honda Pilot and vaulting over the median to collide with a Toyota Camry and nearby property on the opposite lane.
Taofiq added that LASTMA officers arrived promptly at the scene to rescue victims and coordinate emergency operations. “They promptly rescued two severely trapped victims after confirming the instantaneous death of the tricycle operator. The accident scene was immediately cordoned off to prevent secondary incidents,” he said.
The Nigeria Police Force and officials from the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SHEMU) were alerted, while personnel from the Ile-Epo Police Division evacuated the deceased and the injured victims to the General Hospital, Ile-Epo, for treatment and documentation.
To ease the resulting traffic gridlock, LASTMA diverted vehicles through Iyana-Meran and Ajasa Command, while the wrecked vehicles were later towed to the police station for further investigation.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, described the accident as both tragic and avoidable, stressing that poor vehicle maintenance and reckless speeding by heavy-duty drivers remain recurring causes of fatal crashes in the state.
He expressed condolences to the bereaved family and urged truck and trailer drivers to conduct routine mechanical inspections and observe speed regulations, warning that negligence and disregard for safety standards continue to cost innocent lives on Lagos roads.