A United Kingdom returnee and
his younger brother were the victims of an accident on the Otedola Bridge, Toll
gate area of Lagos State.
While the UK returnee, whose
identity had not been ascertained, was seriously injured; his brother, Oluwole
Giwa, 35, who had come to welcome him home, died.
The accident occurred after a
40-foot trailer lost its brake on the Otedola Bridge area. It was learnt that
no fewer than 10 vehicles were affected by the accident, with attendant
gridlock.
The vehicles were said to be in
a long queue waiting for their turns to buy fuel at a filling station when the
trailer rammed into them.
It was gathered that the dead
victim was driving his brother from the airport in a Toyota Hilux with number
plate, FST 356 XS, when they were caught in the tragedy.
While the younger died on the
spot, the UK returnee was said to have sustained injuries and was rushed to a
hospital.
An official of the Lagos State
Traffic Management Authority said, “The accident happened in the early hours of
Saturday. The trailer, with number plate, FKJ 519 CF, was heading towards Berger.
Its brake suddenly failed.
“It tried to hit the median, but
it could not hold the truck, so it rammed into a queue of motorists waiting to
buy fuel at a filling station.
“It hit 10 vehicles in the
queue. But the victims, who were in a blue Toyota Hilux truck, were badly
crushed. The driver died on the spot, while the passenger, who happened to be
the driver’s brother, escaped with injuries.”
An official of the Lagos State
Emergency Management Agency said the deceased had to be extricated with a saw, adding
that the vehicle was mangled.
He said, “The two people
affected were siblings. The elder brother was coming from the UK, so the
younger brother went to pick him from the airport.
“They were heading home when the
accident happened. The driver was speeding when the trailer’s brake failed and
it rammed into vehicles.
“The victims were badly affected
because they were the ones directly in front of the truck. We had to use a saw
to cut the vehicle in order to bring out the man that died.”
The survivor was reportedly
treated by officials of the Lagos State Ambulance Service at the scene before
being transferred to a hospital, while the corpse of the deceased was taken
away by men of the Federal Road Safety Corps.
LASTMA officials later towed
away the vehicles to ensure free flow of traffic.
The General Manager of LASEMA,
Mr. Michael Akindele, who confirmed the incident, advised motorists to be
cautious and adhere to safety precautions while driving.
The spokesperson for LASTMA,
Mahmud Hassan, said, “Trailer drivers and indeed all motorists and commercial
drivers, should always check the condition of their vehicles before putting
them on the road to avert avoidable loss of lives.”
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