The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), has confirmed the death of a trailer driver in an accident that occurred in the early hours of Friday at the Otedola Bridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The Ogun State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) also confirmed that the resulting gridlock extended towards the Kara axis of the expressway.
The twin accident involved heavy-duty vehicles. Confirming the driver’s death in a statement on Friday, LASTMA spokesperson Adebayo Taofiq, said the fatality resulted from a violent collision.
He said: “A tragic road traffic catastrophe involving multiple articulated vehicles occurred earlier today at Otedola Bridge, inward Secretariat, along the Lagos– Ibadan Expressway, temporarily crippling vehicular movement and prompting an urgent, well-coordinated, multi-agency emergency intervention.
“The principal incident involved a violent collision between two heavy-duty trailers—one laden with sand and the other conveying granite—reportedly caused by a reckless contest for right of way.
“The forceful impact had devastating consequences, resulting in the entrapment of the driver of the sand-laden trailer, who sustained fatal injuries and was later confirmed dead.”
Taofiq added that the body of the deceased driver had been taken to Ikeja General Hospital. He also confirmed that a second crash occurred a short distance from the first accident.
“To prevent a breakdown of law and order and ensure public safety, security operatives from the Alausa Police Division were promptly deployed to the scene to provide security, manage crowd control, and support ongoing rescue and recovery operations.
“Cumulatively, the incidents obstructed nearly 80 per cent of the carriageway, compelling the implementation of extensive traffic control and diversion measures.
“Consequently, motorists travelling inward Lagos from the Mowe, Kara Bridge, and Redemption Camp axis were redirected through the Ojodu–Olole route, connecting Agidingbi, Coca-Cola, Secretariat, and 7-Up to enable continued movement towards Gbagada or Ojota with minimal inconvenience,” he added.
Confirming the prolonged gridlock in a statement, FRSC Ogun Sector Command spokesperson, Afolabi Odunsi, linked the congestion to the Otedola Bridge crash and ongoing repair of the Kara Bridge expansion joints
