By Our Reporter
Two people died and several others were injured in separate crashes involving heavy-duty vehicles on Monday along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway and the Third Mainland Bridge.
The first accident occurred around 2:30 a.m. at Otedola Bridge, inward Berger, when an unregistered car reportedly speeding rammed into a trailer. Both occupants of the car died on the spot, while the trailer driver allegedly fled the scene.
A second crash happened around 5:00 a.m. near the UNILAG waterfront on the Third Mainland Bridge. It involved an empty tanker and a sachet-water delivery van, leaving two people critically injured. Emergency officials administered first aid before taking them to hospital.
The accidents triggered major traffic disruptions, with gridlock stretching from Kara Bridge through Otedola Bridge and onto the Third Mainland Bridge. Commuters were stranded as commercial drivers hiked fares.
General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Olalekan Bakare-Oki, confirmed the fatalities and injuries, describing the incidents as avoidable. LASTMA, police, and other responders worked for hours to clear the wreckage and ease traffic.
Bakare-Oki urged motorists to obey speed limits to prevent similar tragedies and expressed condolences to affected families.