trailer fell off Ojuelegba bridge last Wednesday,
Lagos residents have called on the relevant
authorities to regulate the movement of heavy duty
trucks in Lagos State, saying the incident was one too
many.
Meanwhile, Divisional Police Officer of Surulere
Police Division, Chief Superintendent of Police
Monday Agbonika, said yesterday that the driver of
the truck had been arrested.
The affected vehicles were also promptly removed
from the road, which eventually eased the traffic
gridlock created by the crash.
The trailer driver, identified as Wasiu Adeleke, was
arrested for killing three occupants of a Sports Utility
Vehicle, SUV, a black Toyota Corolla with number
plates LSD 532 CN, and a white Nissan Sunny saloon
with number plates DG 750 LND, when his cement-
laden trailer fell off the Ojuelegba bridge.
The driver of the white Nissan Sunny car, one Lasisi
Akeem, whose car was partially crushed by the heavy
duty truck, escaped.
The truck, with number plates EPE 46 XK, driven by
Wasiu a native of Ibadan, was carrying a 40-foot
container loaded with cement and armoured doors.
LASEMA
The General Manager of Lagos State Emergency
Management Agency, LASEMA, Michael Akindele told
Vanguard yesterday that the state government was in
contact with the victims' relations to perfect the
process of their corpses' release from Lagos
Mainland Hospital, where they were deposited.
Akindele said the articulated vehicle and the 40-foot
container were taken to the office of the Lagos State
Task Force on Environmental Offences for further
investigations.
Also, the three victims, he said, were male adults
within the age bracket of 30 and 35 years.
The SUV and the Nissan car were said to be trapped
in the gridlock when the accident happened killing
both occupants in the SUV and the lone occupant of
the Nissan car.
An eyewitness, Joseph Babatunde, said the 40-foot
container was coming from the Costain end of the
road, when it skidded off.
After hours of sawing out the container parts, it was
evacuated from atop the SUV and the bodies of the
three male occupants, including the driver recovered.
As at press time, the identities of the deceased
persons were yet unknown given their mangled state.
Residents send SOS to govt Residents of Ojuelegba area, where the crash occurred, have appealed to the state government to save them from incessant cases of falling trucks in their area, which they say have claimed several lives.
Majority of the people said Lagos State government
should enforce a law, which will regulate movement
of container-laden trucks on Lagos roads.
One of the residents, Mrs. Kehinde Omodara, said: "I
saw the accident and it was very pathetic and painful.
We have been losing too many lives on this road
because of careless drivers.
"Majority of the drivers are youths, who I think are
extremely too young for the driving job. Only
matured people should be allowed to drive trucks.
Matthew Bernard, a shop owner around Ojuelegba
bus-stop, said: "We are calling on Governor
Akinwunmi Ambode to make special roads for trucks
or enact laws that will regulate the movement of
trailers, which will be different from the ones used by
other vehicles.
"That particular trailer was not in good shape at all
and it developed fault right from Barracks Bus Stop,
but refused to stop.
"Government should not allow trailers that carry
containers to ply the road during the day and they
should not climb the bridge. The issue of falling
trucks is becoming too much in Ojuelegba and
whenever they fall, they kill innocent people.
"This year alone, we have recorded four trailer
incidents in Ojuelegba. Government should please do
something fast to prevent loss of lives on our roads."
They should move at night Daniel Chukwukeze said: "Wednesday's tragedy would have been averted if the container was properly latched to the trailer. But as is the usual practice, they did not bother to do that.
"Governor Ambode should save us from these
trailers and tankers. They are hired killers because
they do not care about other people's lives.
"Enough of wasting of lives on our roads due to
trailer or tanker accidents. Government should
restrict their movement to night time. That is the
practise in other countries."
AbleMoJah® Nigeria.
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