An eight-month-old baby and an adult female died in a road crash yesterday along Ikorodu Road, opposite Olabode House, Anthony, Lagos.
The Guardian gathered that a red Tata commercial bus on a high speed from Palmgrove inward Anthony, suddenly lost control, veered off its lane and careened into the opposing carriageway, where it collided with a moving Volkswagen commercial bus conveying passengers from Anthony towards Palmgrove.
The impact resulted in the death of an adult female passenger aboard the Volkswagen bus, while an eight-month-old female infant tragically succumbed to injuries sustained in the collision.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) operatives, supported by members of the public, moved to the scene to rescue victims. A total of 10 victims, including the drivers of both vehicles, were successfully extricated from the mangled wreckage, all sustaining varying degrees of serious injuries.
Six trapped passengers were rescued from the Volkswagen commercial bus, while four others were evacuated from the red Tata bus.
To avert secondary collisions and safeguard other road users, LASTMA personnel secured and cordoned off the entire accident scene and evacuated the wrecked vehicles from the expressway and restored vehicular flow along the main carriageway of Ikorodu Road.
Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) transported the injured victims to nearby medical facilities for immediate and comprehensive medical attention, while officials of the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU) recovered and evacuated the remains of the deceased infant and adult female. Security operatives from the Ilupeju Police Division provided security coverage throughout the duration of the rescue and recovery exercise.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, condoled with the bereaved families, with particular empathy extended to the distraught mother of the infant, who also sustained severe injuries and is presently undergoing medical treatment.
He described the incident as a collective moment of grief for parents and all people of good conscience, offering prayers for divine consolation for the bereaved and speedy recovery for the 10 injured victims.
Bakare-Oki warned all motorists, especially commercial drivers, to exhibit utmost restraint, heightened vigilance and unwavering compliance with stipulated speed limits.
He emphasised the non-negotiable necessity of routine vehicle roadworthiness assessments, particularly of braking systems, prior to embarking on any journey within or beyond Lagos State, cautioning that recklessness on the road remains a deadly menace with irreversible and devastating consequences.
“LASTMA reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the preservation of lives through proactive traffic management, rapid emergency response and sustained public enlightenment, while urging all road users to uphold safety as an inviolable priority,” he said.
