Elderly man falls off moving truck in Lagos, dies

An elderly man has died after falling from a moving truck when its front tyre burst around the TREM axis of Gbagada, inward Oshodi, Lagos State.

The spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Adebayo Taofiq, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

Taofiq stated that the fully loaded Mercedes-Benz six-tyre truck, with registration number ABJ 37 AC, was travelling at considerable speed when the tyre burst, causing the driver to lose control.

He noted that the elderly passenger, who was seated in the front cabin, was thrown out of the truck during the incident and hit his head against a sharp object.

Taofiq stated, “In the ensuing struggle to stabilise the truck, an elderly male passenger seated in the front cabin was flung out of the vehicle and struck his head against a sharp object.

“The impact proved fatal, resulting in his instantaneous death.”

He added that the LASTMA’s Night Rescue Team, which was conducting surveillance along major traffic corridors, promptly arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area.

According to him, the team evacuated the deceased from the busy carriageway into an ambulance belonging to the Lagos State Emergency Medical Services to prevent further danger to road users.

Taofiq added that personnel from the Pedro Police Division and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service also supported the emergency response.

“The overturned truck, due to the considerable volume and nature of its cargo, could not be immediately recovered.

“Consequently, arrangements were made for transloading the assorted consignments into another empty truck before the vehicle was fully recovered,” he added.

Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed condolences to the family of the deceased, describing the incident as a painful and avoidable loss.

Bakare-Oki condemned excessive speeding, saying it reduced drivers’ reaction time, affected vehicle stability and increased the severity of road crashes, particularly when mechanical failures occurred.

He noted that the consequences of the incident could have been less severe if the truck had been travelling at a controlled speed, despite the sudden tyre burst.

The LASTMA boss urged heavy-duty vehicle operators, commercial transporters and other motorists to drive responsibly, carry out regular vehicle inspections and pay attention to the condition of their tyres and braking systems.

He also advised drivers to remain calm and maintain proper control of their vehicles when faced with sudden mechanical faults.

Bakare-Oki reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to traffic surveillance, emergency response and collaboration with other agencies to protect lives on Lagos roads.

PUNCH Metro reported on Saturday that three people lost their lives in two separate road crashes along Sagamu-Ikorodu Expressway and the Iroko Road in Ogun State.

The spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, had confirmed that the accidents involved trucks and tricycles, with seven other people sustaining varying degrees of injuries.