Tragedy was narrowly averted on Saturday when a fully loaded truck skidded off the Pen Cinema Bridge in the Agege area of Lagos, crashing into two stationary commercial buses below.
According to the spokesperson of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, the truck lost control while navigating the bridge and veered off, leading to the fall.
The driver of the truck sustained severe fractures to both hands but was rescued by LASTMA officials who responded promptly to the scene.
Following the rescue, the injured driver was handed over to officers of the Elere Police Division and subsequently taken to the General Hospital, Ile-Epo, for urgent medical care.
Adebayo said LASTMA’s personnel acted swiftly to cordon off the area, divert traffic, and prevent further accidents.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Response Unit later cleared the wreckage, allowing normal traffic flow to resume on the busy Old Abeokuta Road axis.
“Preliminary inquiries suggest that the truck driver, who suffered grievous fractures to both hands, lost control of the vehicle while navigating the Pen Cinema Bridge. Consequently, the truck plunged from the bridge, landing upon the two commercial buses stationed beneath,” Adebayo said in a statement.
Expressing concern over the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, urged motorists, especially truck drivers, to exercise extreme caution, particularly with the rainy season increasing road hazards.
He emphasized the need for compliance with road safety regulations and the use of newly installed speed-limiting devices to curb such accidents. Bakare-Oki also wished the injured driver a speedy recovery.
