One Dead, Two Injured as Multiple Crashes Trigger Gridlock on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway
One person has been confirmed dead and two others injured following multiple road crashes at Kara Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, causing massive traffic congestion on the busy highway.
The accidents, which occurred in the early hours of Friday, disrupted traffic flow on both the Lagos-bound and Ibadan-bound carriageways, with motorists stranded for several hours.
The Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos Sector Command, said the first crash occurred at about 12:05 a.m. on the outbound lane towards Ibadan and involved five articulated trucks and a Toyota Sienna vehicle.
In a statement, the command’s Public Education Officer, Elizabeth Jayeola, said seven people were involved in the crash. She disclosed that one person died, another sustained injuries, while five others escaped unhurt.
According to her, preliminary investigations indicated that excessive speed and loss of control were responsible for the accident.
Jayeola explained that the body of the deceased remained trapped beneath one of the heavily loaded trucks, necessitating the deployment of heavy-duty recovery equipment before it could be evacuated.
She added that a second accident occurred at about 3:15 a.m. on the inbound lane towards Lagos, involving a commercial bus.
The FRSC attributed the lone crash to brake failure, noting that the driver sustained serious injuries and was rescued by emergency responders before being taken to the Lagos State Accident and Emergency Centre for treatment.
Jayeola said personnel of the FRSC, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and other emergency responders were working to remove the crashed vehicles, recover the trapped victim and restore the free flow of traffic.
The Lagos Sector Commander, Corps Commander Kehinde Ganiyu Hamzat, sympathised with the families of the victims and urged motorists to remain patient, exercise caution and cooperate with traffic management officials at the scene.
The FRSC also advised motorists to use alternative routes while recovery operations continue. Outbound travellers heading towards Ibadan were urged to divert through the Ikorodu-Sagamu Road, while those travelling into Lagos were advised to consider the Lekki-Epe Expressway or the Ikorodu-Sagamu route to avoid delays.