Motorists along the ever-busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were left stranded on Wednesday morning as two separate accidents on the Kara Bridge paralyzed movement, causing major traffic disruptions. The incidents, which occurred on the bridge outward Lagos, involved a mix of container-laden heavy-duty trucks and several cars, leading to gridlock that stretched for miles.
The accidents, which happened at different times early in the morning, involved a total of seven vehicles, including: Volks Wagen Bus with vehicle no KJA436YD, Nissan Urvan with registration no CO1203Rs, an articulated Mack Truck with registration number T17083LA, another Mack with no vehicle registration, a blue-coloured Iveco articulated truck with registration number KMC594ZQ, Toyota Hiace bus with registration number 14C241DT and a Sino articulated truck with registration number AAB440XC.
The first of the accidents occurred just after midnight, resulting in the tragic death of one person. According to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the driver of the Volkswagen Bus died instantly, while four others were injured in the crash. Lagos FRSC Sector Commander, Kehinde Hamzat, confirmed that the bus driver’s body was immediately retrieved by the park association.
“The bus driver died instantly, and the park association took his corpse,” Hamzat told journalists.
The second accident followed shortly after the first, though fortunately, no fatalities were reported. The FRSC indicated that overspeeding was the primary cause of both incidents, with vehicles losing control on the bridge due to excessive speed.
Emergency responders, including FRSC personnel, police officers, and officials from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), rushed to the scene to manage the crisis. Despite their efforts, vehicular traffic remained heavily congested, with motorists heading towards Lagos stuck as far back as the Seven-Up area. The stretch of road remained blocked as crews worked to clear the wreckage and remove the obstructions.
As of the time of filing, there was no immediate resolution to the situation. The FRSC commander advised that motorists remain calm as recovery operations were underway. He also urged those with time-sensitive commitments to consider taking alternative routes or postponing their journeys, as the traffic situation was expected to take several hours to clear.
Emergency Response and Ongoing Traffic Woes
Officials were seen working tirelessly to manage the chaos and restore normalcy to the road, which serves as a major route for commuters traveling between Lagos and other parts of southwestern Nigeria. The bridge, a notorious hotspot for accidents, has been the site of similar incidents in the past, prompting calls for better road management and enhanced traffic enforcement.
The FRSC commander also cautioned motorists to exercise more caution and adhere to speed limits, particularly on the Kara Bridge, where the risk of accidents tends to be higher due to the narrow lanes and high volume of traffic.
As the situation continued to unfold, authorities assured the public that all necessary measures were being taken to mitigate the impact and restore free flow of traffic on the expressway.
