Just in: Cyclist dead in Lagos truck collision

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A cyclist lost his life on Monday after a collision with a DAF articulated truck in Ikeja, Lagos State. The incident occurred under the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Bridge at the traffic signal corridor along Airport Road, according to the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority.

A statement issued via X by LASTMA’s Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department head, Adebayo Taofiq, stated that both the cyclist and the truck were coming from the Maryland axis when the cyclist failed to maintain a safe distance from the heavy-duty vehicle.

“Preliminary security findings reveal that the tragic episode unfolded as both 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,” the statement read.

Taofiq said LASTMA operatives at the scene swiftly intercepted the truck driver, who had attempted to flee 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.”

He added that officials from the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SHEMU) were called to remove the deceased cyclist, ensuring traffic flow and public safety.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, expressed sorrow over the incident and extended condolences to the family of the deceased.

He urged cyclists and commercial motorbike riders to exercise caution and strictly adhere to traffic regulations, warning against plying highways and major roads where their risk of accidents is higher.

“The Lagos State Government has sustained intensive sensitisation campaigns aimed at educating cyclists and other vulnerable road users on safe travel, confining their movements to inner roads and avoiding high-risk corridors,” Giwa said.

LASTMA reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing road safety, public enlightenment, and protecting all road users, while appealing to motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians to follow traffic laws to prevent avoidable tragedies.