Tragic Multi-Vehicle Collision Claims Lives of Three Students in Lagos
A devastating multi-vehicle collision occurred along the Powerline Junction, inward Ikorodu Roundabout area of Lagos State, resulting in the deaths of three students from the Lagos State University of Science and Technology. Seven other individuals sustained varying degrees of injuries in the incident.
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Adebayo Taofiq, confirmed the details of the accident in a statement released to the media on Saturday. According to Taofiq, the crash happened when the driver of a sand-laden truck lost control due to brake failure, leading to a chain reaction that involved multiple vehicles.
The impact of the collision was severe, with three students losing their lives instantly. The victims included two males and one female, who were identified as promising students from the university. In addition, seven others, including tricycle operators, suffered grievous injuries. The accident involved a tipper truck heavily loaded with sand (unregistered), a Toyota Corolla (SMK 42 AJ), an MPV bus, and four tricycles.
Taofiq explained that preliminary investigations by traffic operatives indicated that the tipper truck was traveling at an excessive speed and experienced mechanical brake failure. This caused the driver to lose control, leading the vehicle to collide with other road users. The runaway truck crashed into multiple vehicles and tricycles, causing extensive damage and loss of life.
Emergency responders, including officials from LASTMA, the Federal Road Safety Corps, and the Police, rushed to the scene to rescue the injured. They transported seven critically injured individuals to nearby hospitals for urgent medical treatment. The bodies of the three deceased were taken to the General Hospital, Ikorodu mortuary for further procedures.
Following the evacuation, LASTMA personnel cleared all wrecked vehicles from the accident site to restore order and ensure free traffic flow along the corridor.
Reactions and Concerns
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy. He commiserated with the families of the deceased students and wished the injured a speedy recovery. Bakare-Oki described the incident as avoidable, highlighting the recurring issues of recklessness, overspeeding, and poor vehicle maintenance—especially defective braking systems—as major contributors to fatal road crashes across the state.
Despite efforts to reach the spokesperson of the Lagos State University of Science and Technology, Lanre Kuye, no response was received as of the time of this report.
Similar Incident Reported
This tragic event follows a similar incident reported by PUNCH Online on Friday, where a truck lost control along the Otedola Bridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, resulting in injuries to eight people.