A passenger lost his life after he got flung out of a vehicle after the driver lost control in an accident that occurred around midnight on Sunday at a highway in Lagos State.
The accident involved a fully-loaded Mercedes-Benz six-tyre truck which overturned around the TREM axis of Gbagada, inward Oshodi area of the state.
It was gathered that the truck, which was conveying various items including numerous sealed bags and newly-branded event chairs, was travelling at considerable speed when its front tyre suddenly burst, resulting in the driver losing control of the vehicle.
In the struggle to stabilise the truck, an elderly male passenger seated in the front cabin flung out of the vehicle and struck his head against a sharp object. The impact resulted in his instant death on the road.
Officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) who were on night patrol mobilised to the accident scene and immediately cordoned off the section of the highway.
The operatives eventually moved the deceased from the busy carriageway into a Lagos State Emergency Medical Services (SEHMU) ambulance and he was taken to a nearby mortuary.
The midnight accident caused a little traffic bottleneck but LASTMA officials as well as police officers from Pedro Divisional Headquarters provided essential security reinforcement, while officers of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service equally participated in the emergency response.
“In a deliberate effort to forestall secondary collisions and protect other road users, LASTMA personnel strategically positioned traffic cones and deployed appropriate emergency warning signals to demarcate the accident location, enhance motorists’ visibility and ensure the safe management of approaching traffic,” LASTMA said in a statement on Sunday morning regarding the accident.
Though the overturned truck could not be moved away immediately from the highway due to the volume and nature of its cargo, arrangements were eventually made for transloading into another empty truck before the vehicle was fully recovered and taken away from the highway.
