Garbage truck crushes LAWMA official to death
An official of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority, identified only as Idowu, was crushed to death by a waste disposal truck on Tuesday.
We learnt that the deceased and three others were in the truck, otherwise known as PSP, when it skidded off the Egbeda-Idimu Road and fell on its side.
It was learnt that three of the officials escaped unhurt but Idowu was not as lucky as the vehicle fell on him cutting him into two halves.
According to eyewitnesses, the accident was caused by commercial bus drivers who were driving recklessly around Car Wash Bus Stop.
An eyewitness, who identified himself only as Emmanuel, said, "The accident was caused by commercial bus drivers who stopped to pick passengers along the road at illegal bus stops around 7am. The real bus stop is the BRT one, but many commercial drivers usually ignore it.
"The PSP truck overturned as its driver tried to avoid ramming into two commercial buses filled with passengers. The commercial bus drivers were struggling to overtake each other at the bus stop to pick passengers.
"The deceased was caught under, with part of his body, from his chest, cut into half and buried under the truck."
It was learnt that the buses that allegedly caused the accident, drove off immediately.
We learnt that the accident, coupled with the early morning rush, caused a gridlock which stretched from the road to the Iyana Ipaja end of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
Many bystanders as well as colleagues of the victim were seen crying at the scene.
Around 11am, however, two cranes were brought to move the truck off the deceased's body.
A LAWMA official, Mrs. Aminu-Odukoya, who is also a field supervisor said Idowu was one of the officials that collected refuse from residents whenever the PSP truck stopped at refuse points.
She said the truck had stopped briefly to pick bags of refuse shortly before the accident occurred.
Mr. Olakunle Agenjo, a LAWMA provost official, said Car Wash was an illegal bus stop.
He said, "This Car Wash is not a bus stop. This accident happened around 7am. The PSP truck stopped to pick refuse and was about to drive away. A commercial bus parked in its front, picking passengers, another one parked at the back of the truck, also picking passengers.
"Suddenly, as the truck was about to continue on its way, the commercial bus at the back, drove fast and attempted to overtake the one at the front. But the one at the front would not allow the driver. In the confusion, the truck would have run into them, but it would have led to the death of so many people, which was why the driver attempted to steer the truck over the culvert, but the truck overturned and our man turned with it and he was killed."
