A motorist narrowly escaped death after a vehicle reportedly plunged into a bush canal at the Mowo axis inward Badagry along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway following an alleged distraction caused by mobile phone use while driving.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, disclosed that the lone accident involved a Lexus Jeep bearing registration number JJJ 19 KK.
According to preliminary investigations, the driver allegedly became distracted while operating a mobile phone behind the wheel, leading to a loss of control before the vehicle veered off the expressway and somersaulted into the canal.
LASTMA stated that excessive speeding also contributed to the severity of the crash.
Officials of the agency, working alongside personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, immediately commenced rescue operations at the scene of the accident.
The driver reportedly sustained serious internal injuries, while a female passenger suffered a fracture to her left arm.
Both victims were rescued from the wreckage and rushed to the Ola-Oki Medical Facility in Ibereko, inward Badagry, for urgent medical attention.
LASTMA officials also carried out evacuation and recovery operations to remove the damaged vehicle from the canal and prevent secondary accidents along the busy route.
The agency noted that traffic movement around the area remained largely unaffected due to the swift intervention and effective traffic control measures deployed by its operatives.
Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, reiterated the agency’s warning against reckless driving, speeding and the use of mobile phones while driving.
“It is profoundly disheartening that despite sustained public enlightenment campaigns and continuous road safety advocacy by the Government, some motorists still engage in the dangerous practice of operating mobile phones while driving, thereby endangering not only their own lives but also those of other road users,” he said.
Bakare-Oki further advised motorists to remain attentive while driving, avoid unnecessary distractions, obey speed regulations and comply strictly with road safety rules to prevent avoidable accidents and loss of lives.
Man using phone while driving narrowly escapes death in Lagos auto crash