No fewer than seven commuters
sustained varying degrees of injuries on Tuesday at the Berger bus stop,
Isheri, Lagos State, after a Sienna Minivan rammed into them.
We gathered
that the commercial bus, with number plate, KSF 948 XF, was heading for
Abeokuta in Ogun State and was loaded with passengers.
It was learnt that its brake failed and the driver lost control, ramming into
people waiting to board buses to their various destinations.
Among the victims were a couple and two siblings.
Our correspondents, who were at the scene, observed
officials of the Lagos State Ambulance Service, treating some of the victims on
the spot.
Some people were seen praying and pouring oil on a woman
who had passed out. Her husband’s legs were crushed.
Policemen attached to the highway patrol team and
officials of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency later took the victims to
a hospital.
A passenger in the Sienna van, Mr. Afolayan Abdulazeez,
said they observed that the vehicle was faulty five minutes after leaving Ketu.
He said, “After five minutes on the road, we observed
that the vehicle was faulty. However, the brake failed when we got to Berger.”
A LASTMA official said the accident happened around 1pm,
adding that the driver fled the scene.
He said, “The vehicle was loaded with passengers. The
driver was speeding and when he pressed the brake pedal, the vehicle did not
respond.
“He tried to pull up by the roadside, but the vehicle
rammed into people by the roadside and crushed them.”
Another witness, Mukaila Salimon, explained that the
driver, who was determined to reduce the number of casualties, headed for the
expressway and hit the median.
“He tried his best to avoid the accident, but it was
unfortunate that things turned out like this. There were seven people in the
bus. I saw four people receiving treatment, but I am not sure any of the
passengers in the vehicle was affected,” he added.
The Public Relations Officer of LASTMA, Mamud Hassan,
confirmed the accident.
He appealed to commercial drivers to always check their
vehicles before driving, adding that commuters must also avoid faulty vehicles
and should not hesitate to disembark from them once they observed any problem.
Source: The Punch
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