A devastating truck accident occurred in the Papalanto area of Ogun State in the early hours of Friday, barely 24 hours after a similar incident in Lafenwa claimed four lives and injured two.
According to Babatunde Akinbiyi, spokesman for the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), the accident involved an Iveco Truck with number plate KJA 166 XJ and a Tricycle with number plate TRE 627 VP. The truck driver’s dangerous driving was attributed as the cause of the accident.
Akinbiyi further revealed that four people were involved in the accident, comprising two males and two females. Unfortunately, the two females lost their lives in the tragic incident.
The truck driver allegedly fled the scene after causing the damage, leaving behind a trail of destruction and grief.
He narrated, “According to an eyewitness account, the truck in an attempt to overtake the tricycle while both were in transit inbound Abeokuta, around Papalanto, dragged the tricycle along with it by the side in the process with the tricycle falling in its front before running over it, killing a grandmother and her granddaughter, who were the only occupants in the tricycle on the spot. “Regrettably, the truck driver escaped from the scene before being arrested.”
He added that the bodies of the deceased were handed over to their families while warning motorists against dangerous driving.
“However, the bodies of the dead victims have been collected by the families of the victims while the injured tricycle driver has been rescued to an unknown hospital by a good samaritan.
Moreover, the accident vehicles have been deposited at the Itori Divisional Police Command. “While TRACE and the Police commiserate with the families of the deceased, motorists are again charged to avoid dangerous and reckless driving given its attendant consequences,” Akinbiyi concluded.
The incident has raised concerns about road safety in the state, coming on the heels of a similar tragedy just a day before. The authorities are yet to comment on measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
