By Asaye Bankole
An elderly man has died after falling from a moving truck following a tyre burst around the TREM area of Gbagada, inward Oshodi, Lagos State.
The incident involved a fully loaded Mercedes-Benz six-wheel truck with registration number ABJ 37 AC, which was reportedly travelling at high speed when its front tyre burst, causing the driver to lose control.
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Adebayo Taofiq, confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Sunday.
According to Taofiq, the elderly man, who was seated in the front cabin of the truck, was thrown out of the vehicle as the driver struggled to regain control.
He reportedly struck his head against a sharp object, sustaining injuries that resulted in his immediate death.
Taofiq explained that LASTMA’s Night Rescue Team, which was carrying out surveillance along major traffic routes, quickly arrived at the scene and secured the area to prevent further accidents.
The rescue team subsequently evacuated the deceased from the busy road into an ambulance operated by the Lagos State Emergency Medical Services.
Personnel from the Pedro Police Division and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service also participated in the emergency operation.
The LASTMA spokesperson disclosed that the overturned truck could not be immediately removed because of the large volume and nature of the goods it was carrying.
He said arrangements were therefore made to transfer the cargo into another empty truck before the damaged vehicle could be recovered.
Reacting to the tragedy, LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed condolences to the family of the deceased, describing the incident as a painful and avoidable loss.
Bakare-Oki warned motorists against excessive speeding, noting that it reduces reaction time, affects vehicle stability and increases the severity of road accidents, particularly when mechanical failures occur.
He maintained that the consequences of the incident could have been less severe if the truck had been travelling at a controlled speed when the tyre burst occurred.
The LASTMA boss urged operators of heavy-duty vehicles, commercial transporters and other motorists to observe traffic regulations, conduct regular vehicle maintenance and pay particular attention to the condition of their tyres and braking systems.
He also advised drivers to remain calm and maintain proper control of their vehicles whenever they encounter unexpected the mechanical problems.
Bakare-Oki reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to road surveillance, emergency response and collaboration with relevant agencies to reduce accidents and protect lives across Lagos State.
The incident comes days after three people reportedly died in two separate road accidents along the Sagamu-Ijoko-Ikorodu Expressway and Iroko Road in Ogun State.
The spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed that the accidents involved trucks and tricycles, leaving seven other people with varying degrees of injuries.
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