Officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) have rescued an injured driver and his ‘motor boy’ from an empty articulated 40ft truck that fell off a high bridge in Lagos on Sunday.

In a press statement on the agency’s X, its spokesperson, Adebayo Taofiq, stated that the accident resulted from overspeeding.

The LASTMA spokesperson said the overspeeding truck was climbing the bridge directly opposite ‘Sifax’ Company by Ijora ‘Olopa’ inward Apapa when the accident happened.

According to him, the driver, already in a pool of blood, and the motor boy, who had sustained a severe waist fracture by his spinal cord, had been taken to the hospital for treatment while the truck was evacuated.

“A preliminary investigation revealed that the driver of the articulated 40ft empty flatbed truck lost total control due to brake failure while struggling a ‘Right of Way’ (R.O.W) with another fully loaded truck trying to climb the High Bridge inward Apapa.

“Immediately the unfortunate incident happened, other articulated truck drivers around ‘Sifax’ Company supported LASTMA personnel and rescued both the driver and motor boy who were trapped under the truck.

“LASTMA Goriola Jimoh ‘Zebra’ (Zone 22) Apapa, who led the rescue operations, confirmed that the rescued injured driver and his motor boy were rushed to the General Hospital at Apapa for immediate medical treatment.

“The crashed articulated truck was evacuated by Officials of the Lasema Response Unit (LRU) while Lastma personnel handed over the case to Policemen from Ijora – Badia Police Station for further investigation,” Mr Taofiq added.

The LASTMA general manager, Bakare Oki, urged articulated truck owners to always conduct periodic safety training and enlightenment campaigns for drivers to obey road signs and speed limits while driving on highways.