Cyclist crushed to death by truck, driver arrested by LASTMA

A DAF articulated truck has crushed into a cyclist, leading to his death under the LASUTH Bridge at the traffic signal corridor inward Airport Road, Ikeja

According to Adebayo Taofiq, Head of the Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, preliminary security findings reveal that the tragedy happened as the cyclist and the heavy-duty truck advancing from the Maryland axis, simultaneously attempted to negotiate the roundabout underneath the bridge.

“In the course of this perilous convergence, the cyclist was reportedly unable to maintain a safe clearance from the moving truck. Within a matter of moments, the situation escalated disastrously, resulting in the cyclist being violently crushed and succumbing to fatal injuries on the spot.

“LASTMA operatives who were actively deployed to regulate and control vehicular movement at the location responded with exemplary alacrity. Their prompt and decisive action culminated in the immediate apprehension of the truck driver, who had attempted to abscond from the scene. The suspect was thereafter handed over to security personnel from the Ikeja Police Division for thorough investigation and prosecution in line with extant laws.

“In order to avert secondary accidents and swiftly restore traffic normalcy, officials of the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SHEMU) were urgently summoned to evacuate the remains of the deceased cyclist from the carriageway, thereby ensuring public safety and operational orderliness at the scene.”

Adebayo said the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, expressed deep sorrow over the needless and irreplaceable loss of life, while extending his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.

Giwa further issued a firm caution to cyclists and commercial motorbike riders, admonishing them to exercise heightened circumspection and to place utmost priority on their personal safety while navigating Lagos roads.

He reiterated that cyclists must strictly comply with traffic regulations and refrain from plying expressways, highways, and other major arterial routes where their exposure to danger is considerably amplified.