LASTMA confirms death of ‘motor boy’ in Otedola bridge accident

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) says one person died in the accident involving a wheat-laden truck on the Otedola bridge in Lagos on Tuesday.

In a statement issued after the accident, the agency said the victim, believed to be a motor boy, “fell off and died immediately” as the “truck overturned under heavy rain”.

“Zebra’ (Zone 2) disclosed that the fatal accident caused severe congestion for road users travelling along the 7Up-Berger section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway,” the statement reads.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the truck driver could no longer control the truck after noticing a brake failure while on top speed under the heavy rain.”

The agency said the body of the motor boy was recovered under the Otedola bridge and was handed over to the Lagos Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU).

In the early hours of Tuesday, authorities at LASTMA announced that the accident and rainwater had caused severe traffic on and around the bridge.

In 2018, at least 12 persons died after a petrol-laden tanker exploded on the bridge and incinerated cars holed up in traffic.

In 2021, seven vehicles were burnt following an accident on the bridge.

A year prior, two persons were killed when a granite-laden articulated truck collided with a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) on the same stretch.

Mayowa Tijani, a journalist, described the bridge as the most popular accident spot in Lagos.

He added that “seasoned civil engineers should re-examine the bridge and analyse the engineering causes of such incessant accidents and find a cost-effective way of fixing the problem”.