Driver Escapes Death As Truck Falls From Lagos Bridge

Driver Escapes Death As Truck Falls From Lagos Bridge

A truck driver on Saturday narrowly escaped death after his vehicle fell off the Pen Cinema Bridge in Agege, along Old Abeokuta Road, Lagos.

Eyewitnesses said the truck, with registration number GGE 624 YJ, lost control while on the bridge and fell onto two commercial Volkswagen buses parked beneath the Pen Cinema Bridge.

The spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, said the driver suffered grievous fractures to both hands.

He explained that preliminary investigations revealed that the driver lost control of the vehicle while navigating the bridge. In the process, the truck plunged off the bridge, landing on the two buses stationed below.

“LASTMA officers immediately moved to the scene and successfully extricated the severely injured driver, handing him over to officers of the Elere Police Division. He was subsequently conveyed to the General Hospital, Ile-Epo, for urgent medical attention,” Taofiq said.

In a bid to safeguard other road users and prevent secondary incidents, the agency’s personnel swiftly secured the accident site by cordoning off the area and diverting vehicular traffic.

Operatives of the LASEMA Response Unit later cleared the wreckage, restoring free traffic flow along the axis.

Meanwhile, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, admonished all motorists, particularly truck operators, to exercise heightened vigilance, especially with the onset of the rainy season.

He further urged commercial bus drivers to strictly comply with existing road safety protocols and to adhere to the newly installed speed-limiting devices, which have been strategically deployed to mitigate accidents and promote collective road safety.

Bakare-Oki also extended heartfelt wishes for the rapid and full recovery of the injured driver.