Truck overturns in Lagos, kills passenger

Truck overturns in Lagos, kills passenger

A man has died after a truck overturned around the TREM axis of Gbagada, inward Oshodi, Lagos State.

The accident occurred on Sunday and involved a Mercedes-Benz six-tyre truck loaded with assorted goods, including sealed bags and newly branded event chairs.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) said one of the truck’s front tyres burst while the vehicle was travelling at high speed, causing the driver to lose control and overturn.

In a statement shared on X by its Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment, Adebayo Taofiq, the agency said an elderly male passenger seated in the front cabin was thrown out of the truck.

LASTMA stated that he hit his head against a sharp object and died at the scene.

The agency said its Night Rescue Team arrived at the scene, cordoned off the area and evacuated the deceased from the road into a Lagos State Emergency Medical Services ambulance.

Personnel of the Pedro Police Division and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service also took part in the rescue operation.

LASTMA said it could not remove the truck immediately because of the volume of goods it was carrying. He said it’s officers had to transfer the goods to another vehicle before they could recover the overturned truckovered.

The agency’s General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, described the incident as an avoidable loss and urged operators of heavy-duty vehicles to observe speed limits and regularly check their vehicles for faults.

He said excessive speed makes it harder for drivers to control their vehicles when mechanical problems occur.

The crash is one of several involving heavy-duty vehicles in Lagos in recent months.

In April 2026, LASTMA reported that 69 people died and 246 others were injured in road crashes across the state between January and March.

It also recorded more than 900 traffic violations involving trucks and other articulated vehicles during the period.

In April 2025, a container truck crashed along Cele Expressway, inward Oshodi, killing a pedestrian and injuring five others. LASTMA attributed the accident to brake failure while the truck was travelling at high speed.

Also in October, four people died when a truck carrying a 20-foot container overturned onto an interstate bus at Berger Bridge, inward Eleko, along the Ibeju-Lekki Expressway.