A woman was crushed to death on Friday at Ita Oluwo, a boundary community between Lagos and Ogun states, after a speeding truck with failed brakes rammed into another truck, trapping her between the two.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority confirmed the crash in a statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq on Saturday.
According to LASTMA, the accident involved two iron-rod-laden Iveco trucks, with number plates QX 189 KSF and YA 701 AAA.
LASTMA said the collision was caused by brake failure and reckless speeding by the driver of one of the trucks, who lost control and slammed into a stationary vehicle.
“A woman was tragically caught and trapped between the two articulated vehicles,” LASTMA said.
She was rescued from the wreckage by emergency officials and taken to the Ogun State University Teaching Hospital morgue in Sagamu.
The agency’s General Manager, Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, described the incident as a grim consequence of mechanical negligence and irresponsible driving.
“This appalling tragedy highlights the urgent necessity for unyielding compliance with road safety protocols, particularly for operators of articulated trucks conveying hazardous and high-density cargo.
“It is particularly disheartening that incidents of this nature, which are avoidable through due diligence and professional discipline, persist due to mechanical neglect and irresponsible speeding,” he said.
Bakare-Oki called on haulage firms to enforce routine mechanical checks, driver certification, and fitness assessments before putting drivers behind the wheels of heavy-duty vehicles.
“Roadworthiness is not optional, but obligatory for those entrusted with the operation of high-risk transport equipment,” he said.
The woman was extricated through a joint rescue effort by officials of LASTMA, the Lagos Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, and the Nigeria Police.
Normal traffic flow has since resumed on the affected section of the road.
LASTMA urged truck operators to observe speed limits, obey traffic signs, and report faults before setting out.
Credit: punchng.com
