Fatal crash: LASTMA nab fleeing driver after crushing cyclist to death

Officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, on Monday, apprehended a truck driver after crushing a cyclist beneath the LASUTH Bridge at the traffic signal corridor inward Airport Road, Ikeja.

The unfortunate incident involved a DAF articulated truck and an unsuspecting cyclist.

According to eyewitnesses, the tragic episode happened as both the cyclist and the heavy-duty truck advancing from the Maryland axis simultaneously attempted to negotiate the roundabout underneath the bridge.

In the course of this convergence, the cyclist, apparently unable to maintain a safe clearance from the moving truck, was crushed to death in the process.

LASTMA operatives who were actively deployed to regulate and control vehicular movement at the location responded immediately and cleared the impediment.

Their prompt and decisive action culminated in the immediate apprehension of the truck driver, who had attempted to abscond from the scene to evade culpability.

The suspect was thereafter handed over to security personnel from the Ikeja Police Division for thorough investigation and prosecution in line with extant laws.

In order to avert secondary accidents and swiftly restore traffic normalcy, officials of the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SHEMU) were urgently summoned to evacuate the remains of the deceased cyclist from the carriageway, thereby ensuring public safety and operational orderliness at the scene.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, expressed deep sorrow over the needless and irreplaceable loss of life while extending his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.