Dare Babalola
A Lexus sport utility vehicle overturned multiple times at the NYSC Bus Stop corridor along the LASU-Isheri Expressway early this morning, with a mother and her son miraculously surviving the crash, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has confirmed.
This was confirmed in a statement issued by Adebayo Taofiq, LASTMA’s Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, on Wednesday.
Assessment revealed that the Lexus Jeep (KJA 39 JT), which was travelling from Isheri towards Igando, reportedly lost stability and overturned three times before coming to a stop amidst heavy traffic along the corridor.
Taofiq said LASTMA operatives swiftly responded to the incident, demonstrating promptness and professional expertise, and executed a coordinated rescue operation, successfully extricating the occupants – a mother and her son – from the severely damaged vehicle, with visible bruises and mild physiological trauma, thereby averting a potentially fatal outcome.
He added that personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, Igando Division, promptly provided security reinforcement, maintaining effective crowd control and ensuring the integrity of the scene throughout the rescue and evacuation operations.
Upon receiving notification, family members of the victims arrived shortly thereafter and conveyed the woman and her son for further medical evaluation and appropriate care.
In a decisive move to avert secondary collisions and mitigate traffic congestion along the consistently busy corridor serving the Lagos State University axis, LASTMA officers immediately coordinated the evacuation of the accidented vehicle with support from Officials of the LASEMA.
The vehicle was subsequently transferred to the custody of the Police for comprehensive investigation and requisite administrative processes.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed profound relief that the incident did not result in loss of life.
He conveyed heartfelt wishes for the swift recuperation of the mother and her son while reaffirming the Authority’s steadfast commitment to rapid emergency response, proactive traffic management and sustained road safety enforcement.
Bakare-Oki further admonished motorists to observe prescribed speed limits with utmost discipline and to institutionalise routine mechanical integrity checks particularly of critical safety components such as braking systems prior to embarking on any journey.
The General Manager underscored that excessive speed when compounded by mechanical deficiencies constitutes a dangerous precursor to severe roadway tragedies on major expressways.
