Dispatch rider dies in Lagos road crash

Barely 24 hours after a dispatch rider was killed by a hit-and-run driver along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, another dispatch rider has died following a collision with a containerised articulated truck along the Ilupeju Bypass area of Lagos State.

The spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Adebayo Taofiq, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, noting that the tragic incident occurred after the rider reportedly struggled for right of way with a commercial minibus, popularly known as “Korope.”

According to Taofiq, preliminary investigations revealed that the dispatch rider lost control of the motorcycle during the struggle and crashed into a moving articulated trailer along the busy Ilupeju corridor.

He stated that the impact of the collision resulted in severe injuries, leading to the rider’s instant death at the scene.

Taofiq stated, “Preliminary security investigations disclosed that the tragic incident ensued after the dispatch rider reportedly engaged in a dangerous struggle for right of way with a commercial mini bus, popularly known as ‘Korope,’ before losing control of the motorcycle and crashing into a moving articulated trailer along the ever-busy Ilupeju corridor.

“The severe impact of the collision resulted in fatal injuries, culminating in the instantaneous death of the rider at the scene.”

He noted that LASTMA operatives monitoring vehicular activities around the Mushin axis mobilised to the scene after receiving distress reports and immediately commenced rescue and traffic control operations.

Taofiq added that LASTMA officials recovered the remains of the deceased rider, which were trapped beneath the trailer, while implementing measures to ease the heavy traffic congestion caused by the accident.

“LASTMA officials worked tirelessly in synergy with other emergency response agencies to contain the resultant traffic backlog while simultaneously ensuring public safety, security and orderliness throughout the duration of the rescue and evacuation exercise,” the statement added.

According to him, officials of the State Environmental Health Management Unit were also contacted to evacuate the corpse from the scene.

He further disclosed that the wreckage of the dispatch motorcycle and the articulated trailer involved in the accident had been handed over to officers of the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation and possible prosecution.

Reacting, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, while sympathising with the deceased’s family, urged road users, particularly operators of articulated vehicles and dispatch riders, to exercise caution and avoid dangerous struggles for right of way.

“The essence of the recently concluded stakeholders’ engagement with courier and dispatch riders was fundamentally to sensitise and further educate operators on the imperative of safety consciousness, strict compliance with government prescribed speed limits and adherence to extant traffic regulations in order to avert needless loss of lives on our roads,” Bakare-Oki was quoted as saying.

PidomNigeria Online reported earlier on Wednesday that a dispatch rider died after he was knocked down by a wrong-way driver at the Magboro Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Our correspondents who were at the scene of the incident gathered that the driver who collided with the victim fled the scene.