A yet-to-be-identified tricycle rider has been crushed to death on Tuesday evening, after the compactor of a refuse disposable truck fell from a bridge in the Surulere area of Lagos State.
The truck, owned by the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), was said to be plying the Shitta bridge in the community when it developed a mechanical fault while on motion.
Consequently, the driver lost control and collided with a Kia Saloon car on the bridge.
Confirming the incident on Wednesday, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency said the impact of the crash caused the compactor to detach from the truck, crash down the side of the bridge, and fall on a mini commercial bus and a tricycle.
Permanent Secretary of the agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, who disclosed this in a statement noted that the tricycle rider died on the spot.
The statement reads, “The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, received a distress call through the Toll-Free Emergency numbers 767/112, at 2215hrs yesterday night.
“The Agency activated the State’s Emergency Response Plans with Emergency Response Teams responding from Onipan, followed with necessary equipment from Cappa Base, the hub of LASEMA heavy-duty equipment in a 5-minute record time, at 2220hrs.”
“It was observed that a LAWMA PSP compactor truck was involved in a multiple accident when it reportedly suffered mechanical error (disengaged propeller), lost control and crashed into a Kia Rio Saloon car, registration number unknown, on Shitta bridge.
“Further information gathered at the incident scene was that the compactor thereafter crashed down the side of the bridge onto a seven-passenger mini-bus (Korope) and a tricycle (Keke Marwa), killing the tri-cyclist instantly on impact.”