Dare Babalola
An eight-month-old baby and four others were rescued after a multi-vehicle collision at Otedola Tollgate on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, leaving the infant unharmed but four pedestrians severely injured.
The accident victims were rescued by operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), according to a statement by Adebayo Taofiq, the agency’s Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department on Thursday.
A Hydra truck (APP 261 FA), LT commercial bus (EPE 574 YC), Ford vehicle (GG 283 XQ), and an unregistered Mark truck collided at Otedola Tollgate, injuring four pedestrians, including a baby’s mother, when the speeding LT bus hit them while crossing the highway.
LASTMA officers quickly rescued the infant, strapped to a victim’s back, and rushed the injured to Lagos State Accident & Emergency Centre. Alausa Police supported, and LASTMA cleared wreckages, restoring traffic flow.
Preliminary findings by security personnel indicate that the four severely injured pedestrians one of whom bore an eight-month-old baby securely strapped to her back were attempting to traverse the expressway when the LT commercial bus, approaching at a perilously excessive speed, catastrophically rammed into them. The force of the impact precipitated a secondary chain collision involving the remaining vehicles, including the unregistered Mark truck.
In an expeditious and well-coordinated rescue operation, LASTMA officers promptly extricated the infant, who, by extraordinary providence, emerged entirely unscathed despite the magnitude of the collision. The remaining four victims, who sustained grievous bodily injuries, were immediately stabilized and conveyed to the Lagos State Accident & Emergency Centre by Tollgate for urgent medical intervention.
Security personnel from the Alausa Police Station furnished unwavering operational support throughout the rescue effort, safeguarding responders and maintaining situational order at the scene. Additionally, all wrecked vehicles were meticulously cleared from the roadway by LASTMA personnel, thereby reinstating unhindered vehicular movement inward Tollgate and forestalling prolonged congestion along the heavily trafficked corridor.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, conveyed his profound sympathy to the injured victims and extended his sincerest wishes for their swift convalescence.
He further delivered a resolute admonition to pedestrians, urging them to make judicious use of the pedestrian bridges conscientiously provided by the government. He underscored that the hazardous practice of darting across high-speed highways continues to imperil lives needlessly.
