A yet-to-be-identified driver lost his life in the early hours of Saturday after a Honda Pilot Sports Utility Vehicle reportedly somersaulted several times along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway in Lagos State.
The tragic lone accident occurred at Charity Bus Stop inward Iyana Isolo, according to the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).
In a statement issued on Saturday by the Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq, the driver died instantly after the vehicle lost control and overturned repeatedly before coming to a stop.
Taofiq disclosed that the severity of the impact left the SUV badly mangled, trapping the driver inside the wreckage.
“Preliminary findings indicate that the Honda Pilot Sports Utility Vehicle involved in the incident suddenly lost control, causing it to overturn multiple times before coming to a devastating halt,” the statement read.
“The sheer magnitude of the impact led to the instantaneous death of the driver, whose body became trapped within the severely mangled remains of the vehicle.”
According to the agency, LASTMA officials stationed around the Iyana Isolo axis swiftly responded to the emergency alongside operatives of the Mosafejo Police Division.
The officials reportedly evacuated the deceased from the wreckage while simultaneously managing traffic flow along the busy corridor to prevent further accidents.
“LASTMA personnel, who were actively engaged in traffic monitoring and management duties within the Iyana Isolo axis at the time of the incident, responded expeditiously to the emergency,” Taofiq stated.
“Demonstrating exceptional bravery and professionalism, the officers, working in concert with personnel from the Mosafejo Police Division, painstakingly extricated the deceased from the wreckage while simultaneously maintaining effective traffic control and preventing secondary collisions.”
The statement added that officials of the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit later moved the remains of the deceased to a public mortuary, while the wrecked vehicle was handed over to the police for further investigation.
Reacting to the fatal crash, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, sympathised with the family of the deceased and urged motorists to obey traffic regulations and prioritise safety on the roads.
Bakare-Oki cautioned drivers against reckless driving, excessive speeding and dangerous overtaking, stressing that no journey should come at the expense of human life.
“Motorists are strongly urged to eschew reckless driving, dangerous overtaking, excessive speeding and every form of traffic infraction capable of precipitating avoidable tragedies on our roads,” he said.
“The sanctity and preservation of human life must remain paramount in the conduct of every road user. No journey is so urgent as to justify compromising safety.”
The incident came amid growing concerns over road accidents linked to speeding and loss of control. In a separate tragedy, three persons were recently burnt to death after a commercial bus reportedly suffered a tyre burst and somersaulted along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency attributed that crash to excessive speeding and loss of control.
