Four people sustained serious injuries yesterday when a Mack truck carrying a 40-foot container reportedly suffered brake failure and crashed into vehicles and commercial motorcycles at First Gate, inward Mile 2, Lagos.

The crash involved the Mack truck, another truck carrying a 20-foot container, a T4 commercial bus with registration number AAA 723 YF and nine commercial motorcyclists.

Preliminary findings by security officials indicated that the Mack truck lost braking control before hitting the other vehicles and motorcycles in a chain-reaction crash.

The injured victims — three men and a woman — reportedly sustained multiple fractures to their arms and legs.

Operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), who were conducting traffic operations in the area, responded to the scene and began rescue and traffic management operations.

LASTMA personnel extricated the victims from the wreckage and handed them over to officers of the Roro Police Division, who took them to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The agency also removed the damaged vehicles and other obstructions from the road to restore traffic flow along the corridor.

The driver of the Mack truck and the other drivers involved were handed over to the police for investigation and possible prosecution.

The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, sympathised with the victims and their families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

Bakare-Oki also expressed concern over the continued use of restricted highways by commercial motorcyclists, warning that their exposure to articulated vehicles could worsen the consequences of crashes.

He urged motorists and commercial transport operators to obey traffic regulations and ensure their vehicles undergo regular mechanical inspections before being put on the road.

The LASTMA boss particularly advised articulated vehicle operators to pay close attention to their braking systems, tyres, steering mechanisms and other safety-critical components.

He stressed that ensuring mechanical roadworthiness was essential to preventing avoidable crashes and protecting lives, particularly on busy transport corridors.