Lagosians recount road accidents they witnessed

5 Lagosians recount road accidents they witnessed

A road accident is an accident involving vehicles or pedestrians and occurs in a place that is used for transportation. It causes property damage, injury, or death. Road accidents happen because of reckless driving, traffic violators, dangerous vehicles, fatigue, distractions, and much more.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), 3,345 road accidents were recorded in the first quarter of 2022. This implies that an average of 37 road accidents occurred daily nationwide. Lagos, Nigeria’s most commercial state, was among the top four states with the highest number of road accidents.

Whistle asked five Lagosians to recount a road accident that they had witnessed in Lagos and this is what they had to say:

Donald

I had a job interview in Lekki Phase 1 so I went to Oshodi to enter a cab. We entered Gbagada-Charly Boy express road about six minutes into the ride when the vehicle started behaving abnormally. The driver pulled over and told us we could no longer continue the journey. Everyone alighted, upset at what was happening and yelling at the driver to refund the money we paid. Suddenly, a red vehicle sped past us and rammed into the vehicle ahead. The front of the vehicle shattered into bits and damaged all the airbags. Thankfully, the vehicle that was hit didn’t crash into other vehicles. Commotion and traffic built up in nanoseconds. People attempted to rescue the driver of the red vehicle but I don’t think he survived.

Tola

In 2015, I served at a company in Surulere during my NYSC. It was another Tuesday night in traffic and nothing seemed amiss until I got on The Ojuelegba bridge. I sat in the front seat of the Danfo and I saw that the container truck ahead of us was shaky. The Danfo driver complained about the truck and I let out a sigh in agreement. About 20 minutes later when the traffic moved, we watched in horror as the truck’s container tilted and fell on two vehicles beside it. There were no survivors from the crushed vehicles. It’s been seven years since that night and I still get anxious when I see trucks on the road. I avoid driving anywhere close to them.

Joy

I was schooling in the United Kingdom but I came to Lagos for my older sibling’s wedding. The three weeks I had planned on spending in Lagos were meant to be fun-filled. My fun was short-lived because I was involved in a road accident two days after the wedding. A drunk driver crashed into the cab that was taking me home from an outing. When I saw the car, I was in shock at how damaged it was. I survived but I was not unscathed. Because I had two cracked ribs and several injuries, I stayed in the hospital for three days. I returned to the UK the day after I left the hospital, cutting my trip short. People who drink and drive are wicked and should be punished well.

Ugo

I worked at a filling station at Egbeda roundabout and I could see the express. Seeing petty accidents occur on the road and even within the station was normal. One day, I was attending to a customer when I looked up just in time to see a vehicle hit a pedestrian at the speed of light. The driver attempted to flee from the scene but the crowd that had formed prevented her from doing so. She was over the speed limit and had a sudden brake malfunction so she was unable to stop the vehicle. Police officers came to the scene shortly to handle the situation. Later, I learned that the pedestrian passed away.

Mabel

My mother’s store is around the bus park in Ojota. That road is always busy as people traveling to other states go from there. It was not unusual to see vehicles with different items tied to their roof. Some were overloaded but they managed to move without hassle so I assumed it was alright. I had a change of mind when I saw an overloaded vehicle crash due to pressure. This happened just a few minutes after it left the park. One passenger and the driver sustained life-changing injuries. A lot of the items the vehicle was carrying were destroyed.

The Whistle app has the ‘Report Accident’ feature that allows users to report road accidents that they have witnessed in these four simple steps: