Pregnant woman, others faint in Ogun, Lagos traffic

The  chaos along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, and Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Lagos State, on Thursday took a new dimension as some motorists stuck in traffic passed out.

Some of the motorists, which included a pregnant woman, were seen by eyewitnesses being carried out of their vehicles in frantic bids to resuscitate them.

The traffic congestions were said to have been caused by accidents involving trailers conveying goods on the roads.Although no life was lost in the two accidents, the trailers blocked the roads and rendered them impassable for hours.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway accident occurred around 5am at the Arepo U-turn.

An Iveco truck, with number plate, Kano XB 103 FG, conveying soya beans to Ibadan, Oyo State, crashed against the median at the U-turn.

It was learnt that the propeller of the vehicle had snapped and the driver had lost control of the truck when the accident happened.Our correspondent learnt that the traffic stretched as far as Ikeja, Lagos.

A victim, who asked not to be named, said he spent about four hours on the road and had struggled to drive himself safely to the office.

He said, 

“I had got to Ikeja, when I realised there was traffic congestion on the expressway. I tried to drive through the inner roads, but as I was about to burst out at Berger, I discovered the road was completely blocked.

“I started feeling dizzy at that point but I tried to pull through and drive through the traffic. As I drove into my office compound, I lost control of myself and people started pouring water on my head.”

A witness, who identified himself as Idris, said he observed a passenger in an interstate bus being fanned after she passed out.

He said,

 “I was in a bus on the Warewa bridge when I saw people fanning a woman, who had passed out. I could not wait to see if she made it or not.”

Another witness, Motunrayo, said a pregnant woman in a commercial bus was observed vomiting.

“She could not bear it any longer. She kept vomiting as people tried hard to save her. She vomited to the point that she became weak. I just hope she did not die,” she said.

A road contractor, Arowolo Oloyede, said he had lost a contract worth millions of naira as a result of the traffic snarl.

He said, “I just lost a business worth millions of naira now. I have been on this road since 8am and I am just arriving at the accident point at 1pm. I think there is no point again. I have parked my car at the roadside and will be turning back.”