LASTMA Restores Traffic After Fatal Crash at Gbagada, One Dead, Six Injured
By Rashidat Olushola Okunlade
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) swiftly restored traffic flow and coordinated emergency response following a fatal road accident that occurred over the weekend at New Castle Bus Stop, inward Gbagada, along the Oworonsoki–Apapa Expressway, Lagos.
According to reports, a Volkswagen commercial bus with registration number LSD 654 XY lost control and crashed into a roadside culvert along the corridor. The impact of the crash threw a female passenger out of the vehicle onto the expressway, while six other passengers sustained severe injuries, including multiple fractures.
In a tragic development, an approaching articulated trailer could not avoid the sudden situation and ran over the passenger who had been ejected onto the road, resulting in her immediate death.
LASTMA officials monitoring traffic in the Gbagada axis responded promptly, activating emergency traffic management measures around the accident scene. To prevent further accidents and ensure safe rescue operations, operatives temporarily cordoned off the expressway to facilitate the evacuation of the deceased, the injured victims, and the wreckage of the commercial bus involved in the crash.
The six other occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, suffered varying degrees of serious injuries. Meanwhile, the driver of the articulated trailer reportedly fled the scene.
Security personnel from the Pedro Police Division later arrived to support traffic officials and emergency responders while maintaining order at the accident location.
Officials of the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) evacuated the injured victims, including the driver who reportedly sustained a fractured leg, to a nearby medical facility for urgent medical attention.
In the same vein, personnel from the Lagos State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU) removed the remains of the deceased female passenger from the scene.
After the rescue and evacuation operations were completed, LASTMA officials cleared the accident debris and restored normal traffic movement along the expressway.
Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed deep condolences to the family of the deceased passenger and prayed for the strength to bear the loss.
He also wished the injured victims a speedy recovery.
Bakare-Oki reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to sustained public enlightenment campaigns aimed at promoting road safety across Lagos State. He urged vehicle owners and commercial transport operators to ensure their vehicles are in good mechanical condition, particularly the braking system, before embarking on any journey.
“Strict adherence to routine vehicle maintenance remains an essential safeguard against avoidable road accidents and a critical step toward protecting lives on our highways,” he said.
The statement was issued by Adebayo Taofiq, Director of the Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA.
