THE Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has confirmed the rescue of two critically injured persons, including a female driver and her male passenger, following a road crash along the Gbagada inward Oshodi corridor in Lagos.
  The agency said the collision involved a Toyota Highlander, registration number AKD 956 JY, and a black Toyota Corolla, registration number APP 884 JJ. The impact reportedly caused extensive damage to both vehicles and left the occupants of the Corolla with severe injuries.
  
LASTMA officials stationed in the area were said to have responded swiftly to secure the scene, provide immediate assistance and prevent further accidents. The driver of the Highlander was arrested at the scene and handed over to the Nigeria Police Force at the Anthony Police Division for investigation.
  According to preliminary findings by officers at the division, the driver was heavily intoxicated at the time of the crash, confirming driving under the influence of alcohol as the primary cause of the incident.
  Emergency responders from the Lagos State Ambulance Service evacuated the injured victims to the Lagos State Accident and Emergency Centre, where they are receiving intensive medical treatment.
  
Reacting to the development, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed sympathy for the victims and wished them a speedy recovery.
  He condemned drunk driving as a serious violation of traffic laws and a major threat to public safety, reiterating the agency’s zero-tolerance stance on driving under the influence and other dangerous traffic offences.
  Bakare-Oki also urged motorists to maintain their vehicles properly and exercise caution, especially on busy urban roads.
  
Meanwhile, a four-year-old boy, his mother and 12 other passengers narrowly escaped death yesterday in a lone road traffic accident along Coastal Road, opposite Lafiaji, inward Okun Ajah, Lagos.
 The accident involved a fully loaded Mazda commercial bus with registration number AKD 509 XL, according to the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).
  Eyewitness accounts indicate that the vehicle suddenly lost control, somersaulted and overturned with considerable force, trapping passengers inside the mangled wreckage and leaving many visibly shaken. The severity of the crash drew the attention of nearby residents and motorists, who alerted emergency services.
 
LASTMA officials arrived promptly at the scene and carried out rescue operations, extricating injured occupants from the vehicle.
  The four-year-old boy, his mother and two other victims were taken to the Mother and Child Hospital at Abraham Adesanya, Ogombo Road, for urgent medical care. Other injured passengers were conveyed to the hospitals by symphatisers.
 The cause of the accident has yet to be determined, but the incident has been handed over to the Police Division at Abraham Adesanya for further investigation.