DRIVER AND PASSENGER DIE AS PICK-UP VAN CRASHES INTO STATIONARY TRUCK

The driver of a pick-up and his passenger died on Tuesday after the vehicle, which was conveying bags of ginger, rammed into a stationary truck in the Onipanu area of the Ikorodu Road, Lagos State.

It was learnt that the driver, reportedly on top speed, did not see the truck on time, crashing into it headlong.

Reports have it that the victims’ bodies were mangled in the crash which occurred at about 5.30am.

Eyewitnesses said no sign was placed around the stationary truck, adding that it took about two hours before the remains of the victims could be evacuated by a combined team of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, the state’s transport management authority and the police, among others.

It was gathered that while the rescue workers were clearing the road, another truck coming from the Oyingbo end had a brake failure.

A container, which was being conveyed by the truck, reportedly fell on a jeep and crushed its front as the truck driver veered into the culvert. However, the driver of the jeep escaped death.

Rescue workers were still making efforts to remove the container as of 10.30am when our correspondent left the scene.

The corpses were said to have been deposited at the Yaba Hospital Mortuary.

A LASTMA official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said relatives of the deceased had yet to be reached.

He said, “We got here around 6am. We had to use a saw to cut off the van from the truck it rammed into before we could remove the two corpses.

“The brake of the other truck with the container failed and it fell on a jeep. I think the driver was trying to stop to avoid hitting a crowd at the spot where the first accident happened. But the container would not have fallen if it was well tightened.”

An eyewitness and resident of the area, Sodiq Adeyemo, said a bang that resulted from the fallen container drew his attention to the scene of the accidents.

“When I heard the sound, I rushed out. When I got to the road, I saw the container on a jeep and a crowd a few steps away from the spot. It was when I got there that I saw two men trapped inside the van.”

The Director of LASEMA, Mr. Michael Akindele, confirmed the incident.

He said, “A Toyota pick-up on high speed ran into a stationary trailer, which led to the death of two unidentified men.

“Investigation revealed that the commercial pick-up van collided with the stationary truck. Motorists are advised to adhere to traffic rules and safety precautions.”