LAGOS: Three members of the same family a father, mother, and their young child have lost their lives in a tragic multi-vehicle accident that occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, December 10, at Secretariat inward Otedola Bridge along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) confirmed the incident in a statement made available to journalists.
According to LASTMA spokesperson, Adebayo Taofiq, the crash involved three vehicles: an Audi, a Toyota Camry, and a Toyota Corolla.
The accident was triggered when a heavily loaded truck, reportedly travelling at high speed, rammed into one of the cars from behind.
The impact caused the vehicle to veer out of control and collide with two other moving vehicles, resulting in a fatal chain reaction,” Taofiq explained.
He added that the truck driver fled the scene immediately after the crash, abandoning the victims and evading arrest.
LASTMA officials, alongside other emergency responders, arrived promptly at the scene to rescue trapped occupants and clear the affected section of the road.
Two critically injured victims were rescued from the wreckage and transported by the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) to the Lagos State Emergency and Trauma Centre, Toll Gate, for urgent medical attention.
The bodies of the deceased family members were recovered and handed over to the Lagos State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU) for evacuation.
Reacting to the incident, LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, described the tragedy as an unbearable and irreplaceable loss of an entire family. He offered prayers for the bereaved and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Bakare-Oki noted that the accident was preventable and reiterated the agency’s warning against excessive speeding, especially by drivers of articulated and heavily loaded trucks.
He stressed that speeding remains one of the leading causes of road fatalities in Lagos and across the country.
He reaffirmed LASTMA’s commitment to enhanced traffic surveillance, strict enforcement of safety regulations, and strengthened collaboration with security and emergency agencies to prevent similar incidents.
