The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has arrested the driver of a tanker allegedly involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident that claimed the life of a commercial dispatch rider in the Maryland area of Lagos.
The incident occurred along Kodesho Road, opposite Mrs Filling Station, inward Awolowo Way/Oba Akran, where the victim was reportedly knocked down by a fully loaded tanker transporting 33-litre containers of groundnut oil.
In a statement released on Wednesday by the agency’s Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Adebayo Taofiq, LASTMA said the tanker, with registration number T-19089LA, collided with the motorcycle rider, killing him instantly.
According to the agency, the vehicle “violently struck and fatally crushed the delivery rider, resulting in his instantaneous death.”
Rather than stop after the collision, the driver allegedly attempted to flee the scene.
“In a reprehensible attempt to evade justice, the tanker driver reportedly sped away from the accident scene without rendering assistance to the victim or notifying the relevant authorities,” the statement said.
LASTMA disclosed that its personnel immediately swung into action after receiving information about the incident and successfully tracked down the fleeing suspect before he could escape.
“Upon receiving the distress alert, vigilant LASTMA Officers mounted an immediate pursuit, successfully intercepted the fleeing vehicle and apprehended the driver before he could escape.”
The agency said both the driver and the tanker have since been handed over to the State Traffic Department (STD) of the Nigeria Police, Area F Command, Ikeja, for further investigation and possible prosecution.
LASTMA officers also cordoned off the accident scene, directed traffic and coordinated emergency response efforts to minimise disruption to vehicular movement while recovery operations were carried out.
According to the statement, fellow dispatch riders who witnessed the tragedy contacted the deceased’s family to inform them of the incident while mourning the loss of their colleague.
Reacting to the development, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, described the fatal crash as “both heartbreaking and avoidable.”
He called on operators of tankers and other heavy-duty vehicles to exercise greater caution and professionalism while using public roads.
The statement noted that “He reiterated the Agency’s unwavering commitment to road safety and passionately appealed to operators of articulated vehicles, tankers and other heavy-duty trucks to exercise the highest degree of professionalism, vigilance and compliance with all traffic regulations.”
Bakare-Oki also warned motorists against reckless behaviour on the road, stressing that drivers who flee accident scenes would face the full consequences of the law.
He said “reckless driving, excessive speed and the criminal act of fleeing accident scenes constitute grave offences that endanger innocent lives and attract the full weight of the law.”
The LASTMA boss reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to working closely with the Nigeria Police Force and other emergency responders to improve road safety, ensure prompt response to accidents and maintain the free flow of traffic across Lagos State.
(Ripples)