A devastating accident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, October 2, 2024, claiming the lives of at least 10 passengers, including three children. The incident took place at Abule-Osun, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, involving a bus and a stationary truck.
Around 2:15 a.m., a Toyota Sienna bus, registered as BDG 342 FS and filled to capacity with passengers traveling from the eastern part of Nigeria, crashed into a stationary SHACMAN truck with an unknown registration number. Eyewitness Anthony Ogah reported that the bus was traveling at high speed when the collision occurred.
Dr. Femí Oke-Osanyitolu, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), attributed the crash to excessive speeding. He stated, “Further investigations revealed that the truck, laden with granite, was parked on the road, obstructing about half of the carriageway. The Toyota Sienna, on top speed, unknowingly crashed into the parked truck from behind.”
The tragic outcome resulted in the death of 10 passengers, which included three male adults, four female adults, two female children, and one male child. Initially, three passengers survived, but one of the two surviving female adults later succumbed to injuries.
The surviving passengers, a female adult and two children, received immediate medical attention from the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) at the crash site and were subsequently transported to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja for further treatment.
Emergency responders, including LASEMA, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and officials from the Nigerian Police and the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU), quickly arrived on the scene to assist.
The bodies of the deceased were retrieved and taken to the mortuary by SEHMU officials. By 5 a.m., the wrecked Toyota Sienna and the stationary truck had been removed from the highway, allowing for the resumption of normal traffic flow in the area.
This tragic incident highlights the ongoing concerns regarding road safety and the need for stricter regulations on speeding and vehicle maintenance.