A police officer has died, while two others were hospitalised in two separate road crashes that occurred on the Third Mainland Bridge and the Lagos-Badagary Expressway on Sunday.
PUNCH Metro learnt from separate statements on Sunday by the spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Adebayo Taofiq, that the accident that claimed the life of the policeman occurred after a Lexus car rammed into the motorcycle he was riding along the motorcycle-restricted Third Mainland Bridge.
He noted that the driver of the Lexus car surrendered himself to the police at a station in the area.
He stated, “The regrettable incident occurred when the driver of a Lexus car (EPE 765 JN) rammed into a police officer riding a Bajaj motorcycle on the Third Mainland Bridge.
“While the police officer died on the spot, the driver of the Lexus immediately reported himself at the Adekunle Police Division.”
Taofiq noted that LASTMA operatives, alongside officers of the Nigeria Police Force, mobilised to the scene to avert a secondary accident.
He added that “coordinated evacuation and recovery operations were immediately activated to facilitate the removal of the accidented vehicles and restore full operational normalcy along the bridge corridor.”
Reacting, the LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, reiterated the need for motorists to exercise caution and maintain strict adherence to speed regulations.
“He further emphasised that road users must cultivate responsible driving habits, remain conscious of the fragility of human life and comply faithfully with extant traffic laws to stem the alarming tide of avoidable road fatalities across Lagos State,” Taofiq added.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, proved abortive as she had yet to respond to messages sent to her as of the time of filing this report.
In another statement, Taofiq confirmed that a driver and his passenger were hospitalised after their vehicle plunged into a bushy canal along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
He noted that the driver, while using his mobile phone at the wheel, lost control of the vehicle and veered off the expressway before plunging into the canal.
He stated, “The tragic incident involved a Lexus Jeep (JJJ 19 KK), whose driver became perilously distracted while using a mobile phone behind the steering wheel, thereby losing absolute control of the vehicle before it veered off the expressway and plunged into a bush canal adjoining the roadway.
“Preliminary findings at the scene further revealed that excessive speeding substantially compounded the driver’s momentary loss of concentration, ultimately culminating in the violent somersault and devastating crash.
“The unfortunate occurrence left the driver with serious internal bleeding and his female companion with a fracture on her left arm.”
Taofiq added that LASTMA operatives, in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps, rescued the victims and conveyed them to a nearby hospital, while the wreckage of the vehicle was removed from the accident scene.
Reacting to the incident, the LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, warned motorists against distracted driving while stressing the agency’s commitment to sustained advocacy against road safety violations.
“It is profoundly disheartening that despite sustained public enlightenment campaigns and continuous road safety advocacy by the government, some motorists still engage in the dangerous practice of operating mobile phones while driving, thereby endangering not only their own lives but also those of other road users.
“Motorists are therefore strongly admonished to maintain unwavering concentration while driving, refrain absolutely from the use of mobile phones behind the wheel, comply strictly with stipulated speed regulations and faithfully observe all extant road safety protocols in the collective interest of safeguarding human lives and protecting public property,” Bakare-Oki was quoted as saying.
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