The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) says it has intercepted an articulated truck driver who fled after crushing a cyclist to death.
Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Transportation, Mr Sola Giwa, diaclosed this in a statement in Lagos on Monday.
Giwa noted that the incident occurred beneath the LASUTH bridge at the traffic signal corridor inward Airport Road in Ikeja.
“Preliminary security findings reveal that the tragic episode unfolded 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 perilous convergence, the cyclist was reportedly unable to maintain a safe clearance from the moving truck.
“ Within a matter of moments, the situation escalated disastrously, resulting in the cyclist being violently crushed and succumbing to fatal injuries on the spot,” he said.
He said that LASTMA’s prompt and decisive action culminated in the immediate apprehension of the truck driver, who had attempted to abscond from the scene to evade culpability.
He added that 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,” he said.
Giwa warned cyclists and commercial motorbike riders to take caution and place utmost priority on their personal safety while navigating Lagos roads.
He reiterated that cyclists must strictly comply with traffic regulations and refrain from plying expressways, highways, and other major arterial routes which amplifies their exposure to danger.