A mother and her child have died after two trucks carrying 20-foot containers overturned at Mile 2, near Freeman Market, inward Apapa, Lagos State.
The Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Adebayo Taofiq, disclosed the incident in a statement on Sunday. He said the victims were trapped beneath the overturned trucks and containers and sustained fatal injuries.
According to Taofiq, LASTMA rescue and recovery personnel arrived at the scene to evacuate the victims, remove the trucks and manage traffic. The affected road was temporarily cordoned off, while motorists were diverted through an adjoining service lane to prevent traffic congestion and further accidents.
He added that the agency deployed a crane and a heavy-duty tow vehicle to remove the overturned trucks and their cargoes. Police officers provided security during the operation, while the victims’ remains were taken to the Police Mortuary in Yaba for necessary procedures.
Reacting to the incident, LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed condolences to the bereaved family and called for a thorough investigation to establish the cause of the crash. He urged relevant security agencies to determine whether mechanical faults, overloading, improper cargo distribution, driver negligence or other factors contributed to the incident.
Bakare-Oki also urged truck operators to obey road safety regulations, inspect their vehicles regularly and ensure that cargoes were properly secured. He emphasised that heavy-duty vehicle operators must maintain roadworthy vehicles and comply with prescribed safety standards to prevent avoidable deaths.
The incident comes days after a motorboy was killed and three others, including a truck driver, were injured in a trailer crash along Mile 6, Ajebo Road, in Ogun State. The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency spokesperson, Babatunde Akinbiyi, said the trailer reportedly suffered brake failure while descending a bridge at Agbedejobi village, causing the driver to lose control.
