WOMAN DIES IN MULTIPLE BUS COLLISION!

An early morning collision at the Ojodu Berger end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Monday left a pedestrian crushed to death, while some passengers were injured.

The pedestrian, a 52-year-old woman, was mangled leaving a gory sight behind for passersby.

It was learnt that the collision, which happened at about 6.30am, involved three vehicles- a truck, a Sport Utility Vehicle, and an 18-seater bus.

An official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority told journalists at the scene of the incident that the truck driver was the culprit in the accident.

He said, “We were at the opposite side when we suddenly heard the noise of the collision. What happened was that people wanted to cross the road, and the commercial bus and the SUV slowed down for them, but the truck at the rear was coming at a full speed, and, perhaps, its brakes failed.

“The truck then hit the two vehicles, and the commercial bus in turn smashed the elderly woman, who was standing by the side of the road. She died instantly. Also, some of the passengers were injured. The victims have been rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.”

Another eyewitness, who gave her name simply as Mrs. Adebayo, said the dead woman was standing by the median of the expressway when she was hit.

She said, “The woman was standing by the median of the expressway, waiting for the vehicles to pass. She was not rushing at all. It was the driver who swerved to where she stood and cleared her off.”

It was further learnt that while the passengers in the commercial bus sustained varying degrees of injuries, the truck driver was not wounded, and he sped off the scene.

However, the driver of the commercial bus was said to have given a chase, and caught up with the escaping truck driver. The case was said to have been reported at the Isheri Police Division.

It was also gathered that the dead pedestrian was on the way to her working place. The Identity Card from her bag gave her name as Mrs. Alice Utti. It further revealed that she was a cleaner with a logistics and clearing company in Warewa, Ogun State.

It was learnt that the late Utti was a mother of two grown-up children – a son and a daughter. The woman’s remains were said to have been evacuated by a combined team of LASTMA and the police.

Speaking with journalists, the son, 25-year-old Matthew Utti, said he had yet to come to terms with the reality of his mother’s death.

“I cannot believe mummy is dead. Our father is late, and now she is gone too. She used to attend a Celestial Church. I gained admission into the National Open University of Nigeria recently, and she was my only sponsor,” Matthew lamented.

The Lagos State Police Spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, said the truck driver had been arrested.

She said, “The suspect has been arrested, and the case will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department on Tuesday.”

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About Unknown

Deji Sadiq, a.k.a DEJI OF LAGOS is a LASU trained Economist turned freelance journalist, a Blogger, an information strategist, a public affairs analyst and a committed activist with a passion for equal opportunities.