Ten persons have lost their lives while six others sustained varying degrees of injures in a fatal road traffic crash that occurred on Sunday night.
The fatal accident which occured at about 8:05pm at Saapade Bridge along the Ibadan–Lagos Expressway, involved a white Sinotruk (CNHTC) truck and a white Toyota Hiace bus with registration number EKY 290 YM.
The spokesman for the Ogun FRSC Sector Command, Afolabi Odunsi, confirmed this in a statement issued on Sunday,.
Odunsi disclosed that 18 people were involved in the crash, comprising 15 adult males, two adult females and one male child.
According to the statement, 10 persons, nine adult males and one male child died in the crash, while six others, including four adult males and two adult females, sustained varying degrees of injuries. Two adult males escaped unhurt.
The FRSC attributed the crash to a combination of speeding, wrongful overtaking and dangerous driving.
Odunsi said, “A total of 18 persons were involved in the crash, comprising 15 adult males, 2 adult females and 1 male child. Sadly, 10 persons lost their lives, comprising 9 adult males and 1 male child, while 6 persons (4 adult males and 2 adult females) sustained varying degrees of injuries. Two adult males escaped unhurt.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the crash was caused by speed violation (SPV), wrongful overtaking (WOV) and dangerous driving (DGD).
“The truck driver reportedly reversed on the highway after missing his direction, while the approaching bus, travelling at high speed, attempted to navigate through the limited space available and rammed into the truck.”
He added that the FRSC rescue operatives arrived promptly at the scene and evacuated the injured victims to Victory Hospital, Ogere, for medical treatment, while the deceased were deposited at FOS Mortuary, Ipara.
Odunsi said that the personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, Ishara Division, have taken custody of the crashed vehicles, while arrangements have been made for their evacuation.
The crash has been cleared and traffic is flowing freely.
Meanwhile, the Sector Commander, Corps Commander Oludare Ogunjobi, has commiserated with the families of the deceased and wishes the injured a speedy recovery.
Ogunjobi warned motorists, particularly commercial drivers and truck operators, against reversing on highways, excessive speeding, dangerous driving and other traffic violations that endanger lives.
The sector commander reiterated that road users should always obey traffic rules, maintain safe speeds and use designated turning points whenever they miss their routes, adding that these simple precautions can prevent needless loss of lives on our highways.
Recall that in May, a dispatch rider lost his life following a collision with a containerised articulated truck along the Ilupeju Bypass area of Lagos State.
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Adebayo Taofiq, stated that the tragic incident occurred after the rider reportedly struggled for right of way with a commercial minibus, popularly known as “Korope.”