The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has apprehended the driver of a DAF articulated truck who allegedly fled after killing a cyclist in a fatal road crash beneath the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Bridge along the traffic signal corridor inward Airport Road, Ikeja.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by LASTMA on Monday. According to the agency, the incident occurred when both the articulated truck and the cyclist attempted to negotiate the roundabout beneath the bridge at the same time.

“The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has confirmed a tragic and fatal road traffic incident beneath the LASUTH Bridge at the traffic signal corridor inward Airport Road, Ikeja, involving a DAF articulated truck and an unsuspecting cyclist,” the statement said.

LASTMA explained that the cyclist reportedly failed to maintain a safe distance from the moving truck, a situation that escalated tragically, resulting in the cyclist being crushed and dying on the spot.

The agency said its operatives, who were on traffic control duty at the location, promptly intervened after the crash. The truck driver, who allegedly attempted to abscond from the scene, was intercepted and arrested by LASTMA officials.

“Their prompt and decisive action led to the immediate apprehension of the truck driver, who attempted to flee the scene to evade responsibility. The suspect was subsequently handed over to officers of the Ikeja Police Division for investigation and prosecution in line with extant laws,” the statement added.

To prevent secondary accidents and restore traffic flow, officials of the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SHEMU) were called in to evacuate the remains of the deceased cyclist from the roadway.

Reacting to the incident, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Hon. Sola Giwa, expressed deep sorrow over the death and extended condolences to the victim’s family.

Giwa urged cyclists and commercial motorcyclists to obey traffic regulations and avoid using expressways, highways and other major arterial roads where the risk of fatal accidents is high.

“The Lagos State Government has sustained intensive sensitisation campaigns through public jingles and documentaries to educate cyclists and other vulnerable road users on the importance of restricting their movements to inner roads, away from highways and high-risk corridors,” Giwa said.

“This safety directive also applies to skateboard users and other non-motorised means of transportation.”