Dispatch Rider Feared Dead In Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Crash
A dispatch rider has been feared dead after he was knocked down by a hit-and-run vehicle driving against traffic on the Magboro Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
A reporter who visited the scene of the accident on Wednesday gathered that the accident occurred at about 5pm when the unidentified driver collided with the rider and fled the scene immediately after the crash.
It was observed that the victim’s body had already been moved from the middle of the road to the sidewalk and covered with a cloth for decency by sympathisers and residents in the area.
It was also observed that fellow dispatch riders gathered at the scene to observe the incident while lamenting regulatory failures on the expressway.
Some eyewitnesses at the scene described the incident as sudden and unfortunate, lamenting the increasing recklessness of some motorists on the expressway.
An eyewitness identified simply as Mr Michael said two residents were responsible for moving the victim’s body away from the road to prevent further accidents.
“When I arrived, two people had already carried the body away from the road.
“I asked the vulcaniser around the area what really happened, and he explained that when the driver collided with the rider, the driver immediately zoomed off.”
According to him, the vulcaniser stated that efforts to pursue the fleeing driver were unsuccessful due to the absence of available transportation at the time of the incident.
“He made it clear that it was a car that struck the rider and not a trailer,” Michael added.
A dispatch rider who did not want to be mentioned in print lamented the indiscriminate disregard for traffic rules on the expressway while faulting delays in emergency response.
Also, a police officer at the scene of the incident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that the family of the deceased had been contacted.
He noted that upon arrival at the scene, sympathisers had taken the body of the deceased rider away from the expressway.
“We have been able to contact his family through his phone. One of the dispatch riders used his phone to call his family, and they said they were on their way.
“His body had been taken off the expressway when I got here. I am waiting for the arrival of the family so that we can move the body to the mortuary,” the officer said.
As of the time our correspondents left the scene of the accident, the family of the deceased had yet to arrive.
Meanwhile, as of the time of filing this report, the Federal Road Safety Corps and the police had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
