A truck accident has led to the deaths of three Lagos State University of Science and Technology students, and seven others were injured to various degrees.
Adebayo Taofiq, a spokeswoman for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, verified the event in a statement provided to our correspondent on Saturday.
Taofiq stated that the accident occurred when the driver of a sand-laden truck lost control owing to a brake failure and collided with other cars on the busy corridor.
According to him, the incident caused a tragic loss of life, with several more gravely injured.
He said, “In an incident of profound tragedy that cast a pall of grief over the Ikorodu metropolis, three promising students of the Lagos State University of Science and Technology, Ikorodu, two males and one female, lost their lives instantaneously in a fatal multiple-vehicle collision that occurred earlier today at Powerline Junction, before Aleje, inward of Ikorodu Roundabout.
“Seven others, including tricycle operators, sustained grievous injuries in the horrifying crash. The catastrophic accident involved a tipper truck heavily laden with sand (unregistered), a Toyota Corolla (SMK 42 AJ), an MPV bus, and four tricycles.
“Preliminary investigations by traffic operatives revealed that the tipper, which was travelling at an excessive speed, suffered mechanical brake failure, causing the driver to lose control. The runaway vehicle careened into other road users, colliding forcefully with multiple vehicles and tricycles in its path, leading to devastating wreckage and loss of lives.”
Taofiq also stated that emergency responders, including officials of LASTMA, the Federal Road Safety Corps, and the police, rescued the injured victims and took them to a nearby hospital.
“Together, they swiftly conveyed seven critically injured victims to nearby medical facilities for urgent treatment, while the three deceased casualties were evacuated and deposited at the General Hospital, Ikorodu mortuary.
“Following the evacuation, all wrecked vehicles were cleared from the accident scene by LASTMA personnel to restore order and ensure free traffic flow along the corridor,” he stated.
Responding to the incident, LASTMA’s General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed condolences to the families of the deceased pupils and wished the injured victims a swift recovery.
Bakare-Oki, according to Taofiq, described the tragedy as preventable, noting the recurring threat of irresponsibility, overspeeding, and poor vehicle maintenance, particularly malfunctioning brake systems, as chronic causes of fatal road incidents across the state.
Attempts to contact the Lagos State University of Science and Technology spokesperson, Lanre Kuye, were fruitless since he had yet to respond to calls and texts at the time of reporting this story.
