A motorist was killed Thursday morning, while his wife sustained critical injuries after a granite-laden truck toppled onto their Toyota saloon car at Eleko Junction along the Lekki–Ajah Expressway in Lagos State.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) confirmed the incident in a statement signed by the agency’s Director of Public Affairs, Adebayo Taofiq.
“Preliminary reports indicate that an articulated truck, heavily loaded with granite and traveling at excessive speed from the Epe axis, approached Eleko Junction when it reportedly experienced a catastrophic brake failure. The mechanical malfunction caused the truck to veer off course and collide forcefully with a Toyota saloon car traveling from Ajah toward Epe,” the statement read.
The impact caused the truck to overturn, crushing the smaller vehicle and trapping the driver. Rescue efforts by LASTMA and the Federal Road Safety Corps, aided by bystanders, confirmed the man dead at the scene, while his wife was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The truck driver reportedly fled the scene, and officers from the Akodo Police Division secured the area during the rescue operation.
LASTMA General Manager Olalekan Bakare-Oki described the crash as avoidable, urging motorists and truck operators to ensure proper vehicle maintenance and avoid reckless driving.
