By_ Babatunde Kaka
- Relevant authorities should clear the clog of silt on the bridge – Road users.
- School children and mother discharged from the hospital after observation for 3 hours – Hospital source.
Tragedy was averted on Wednesday after the Emergency and Security Regional Dispatch Center at Oke-Osho, Epe, promptly stepped in to quelled a fatal accident involving a PMS tanker, haulage truck and saloon car.
What would have been a black Wednesday in Epe, the fish basket of Lagos State, was averted by the responsiveness, professionalism and bravery of men of the Lagos State Fire Service in collaboration with men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority(LASTMA), the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and the Nigerian Army (NA).
As gathered by Eko Hot Blog, the ghastly road accident, which would have culminated into a tanker explosion, took place on the Berger bridge, Oko-Orisan, during Wednesday’s downpour. Eyewitnesses and other road users complained bitterly that the accident would have been an avoidable one if accumulated silt on either side of the bridge had been cleared by the appropriate authorities. The silt, which clogged the drain channels, they said, paved the way for water retention on a section of the bridge, which is the major cause of the accident.
When men of the Lagos State Fire Service got to the accident scene, they met with a resistant horde of hoodlums who were looking to capitalize on the spillage and pilfer the contents for personal gain; but, with the arrival of a group of soldiers, the hoodlums were eventually ejected from the scene.
The brave Firemen, with the support of the slightly injured tanker driver, laboured to pump out the PMS from the already burst section of the tanker, which had spilt its contents on the road to another section. The Firemen thereafter sprayed the road with some “foam” substance to “blanket the spillage to prevent any spark”.
Recounting the ghastly accident, one of the victims, a man in his late thirties who drove in a silver Toyota Camry (Big Daddy), told our correspondent that he was on his way home from Ijebu-Ode where he went to pick up his cousins from their school, Christ -The King Catholic College (CKCC), Odo-Lewu. He described the accident as shocking but was thankful that his cousins and aunt didn’t sustain any serious injuries.
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“I was in the middle of two trucks with a sizeable distance between us. The truck ahead of me splashed water on the PMS tanker’s windshield. So, I had to slow down for the tanker to get visibility and suddenly, the yellow haulage truck behind hit me. My cousins sat at the back while their mother sat beside me. When this man came and saw the accident, he helped me take them to the hospital immediately. The truck driver attacked me for matching the break and because I couldn’t stand him, he sped off,” he stated.
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The driver of the Toyota Camry, who came out unscathed, further revealed that the yellow truck driver, while speeding off the scene to avoid being mobbed, swerved carelessly and hit the PMS tanker. The impact of the crash is said to have knocked off the tanker’s door. He further stated that the culprit was traced to Eleko on a bike to answer for his crimes but to no avail.
Verifying the state of health of the occupants of the silver Toyota Camry, the two school children and their mum, Ekohotblog was told by a reliable source at the True Care Model Clinic that they were observed for three hours and discharged this evening.
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