NO less than 27 commuters escaped death when a loaded VW LT35 commercial bus in which they were being conveyed, collided with a Lagos State Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, at Costain roundabout in Lagos on Friday, March 11.
Eleven of the victims of the road traffic accident which occurred at Costain roundabout, were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Ebute Metta, while six others were taken to the General Hospital on Lagos Island.
Vanguard gathered that the LT bus with registration No. KTY 963 XQ, had a brake failure, and in the process, crashed into the rear end of the BRT, with registration No. KTU 235 XK, causing all the passengers to sustain varying degrees of injury.
One of the accident victims who spoke said the bus was travelling from Okoko to Lagos. He said the driver was on top speed and that several warnings to get him to drive at a reasonable speed failed.
The whereabouts of the driver and conductor of the LT bus could not be ascertained, but it was gathered that the driver of the BRT bus with registration No. KTU 235 XK, escaped with the bus from the scene of the accident but was later apprehended by the Police and is being detained at Iponri Police Station.
Medical Director, FMC, Dr. Yewande Jinadu confirmed the incident. “The bus ran into the BRT. Many of the passengers have facial blunt injuries. We have mobilised 15 doctors and 26 nurses in the emergency. We discharged three of the patients after managing them. Five are currently being managed, three of which are in very critical condition.
“The three critical cases have fractures and facial blunt injuries and are being stabilised. Others have fractures. We are coping but the facial blunt injuries will be referred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, or the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. LASUTH. But we must stabilize them before referral.”
Urging commuters to always carry an ID card which lists a Next- of- Kin or family contact, Jinadu further explained: “We experience situations like this 2-3 times in a week, arising from road traffic accidents, building collapse, fire, burglaries or robberies. Normally we have three doctors and four nurses in the A&E. There are two consultant traumatologists on ground and a blood bank that can cope.
Also speaking, a consultant Family Physician and Head of the Accident & Emergency Unit at the FMC, Dr Usman Olagoke, said two of the passengers were in critical condition.
"It’s a mass casualty. There is more of facial injuries that will need maxillofacial surgury, the challenge was to get the airway to enable the patients breath freely. We also needed to reduce the amount of blood loss. The definitive plastic surgery will come later.
“Most of them are stable but we are still battling with two that are critically injured. Our dentists and ENT surgeons are working on them and we have been able to verify their identities.”
The hospital’s spokesperson, Mr Harrison Etim said all non-emergency services in the hospital had to be suspended so as to engage all the orthopaedic and general surgeons and other sub-specialities on duty to attend to the casualties.
The Police was very proactive and cooperative and were instrumental in mobilising people to bring out the victims from the wreckage.
"We attended to the passengers immediately they were brought in. There was no demand for Police report or payment. We appeal to commercial bus drivers to drive carefully and passengers to caution drivers who drive recklessly,” he stressed.
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