In a harrowing incident on Tuesday, a truck transporting cows and 23 individuals narrowly avoided a fatal accident when it crashed into the median on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Tragically, one person lost their life, while five others sustained injuries of varying degrees in the crash near the Fidiwo area.
Florence Okpe, spokesperson for the Ogun State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps, confirmed the incident, stating that the collision occurred due to a tire bursting while the vehicle was in motion.
All 23 individuals involved in the accident were reported to be males. Okpe emphasized, “Twenty-three persons involved, all male, five injured and one person killed. It was a lone crash involving a truck. The cause of the crash was a tire burst and speeding.”
Providing further details, Babatunde Akinbiyi, spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, disclosed that the accident happened around 7 am. He reiterated that the tire burst led to a loss of control, culminating in the solitary crash.
The injured victims were promptly transported to Victory Hospital, Ogere, by FRSC, while TRACE operatives managed traffic flow to facilitate the movement of other motorists. Although there was initially a disruption in traffic, normalcy has since been restored on the expressway, with the accident truck, laden with cows, towed away from the road.
In light of the incident, the FRSC spokesperson cautioned motorists against speeding on the expressway to avert such tragedies. “Motorists are advised always to drive with caution on the expressway to prevent needless loss of lives,” Okpe emphasized.
This incident follows a previous fatal accident reported on February 17, where three individuals lost their lives in an early-hour collision near Mowe on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The accident was attributed to a container falling off a truck, trapping the victims inside a Howo truck without a number plate, due to dangerous driving leading to a loss of control.
