Pregnant woman dies, others injured in auto accidents

Ellen, her daughter
| credits: Afeez Hanafi

A driver of a commercial bus marked XQ 521 KTU on Saturday crushed a pregnant woman to death in the Mangoro, Lagos area of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway while her one and half year-old daughter sustained minor bruises in the face.

Mrs. Itodo Ellen, who was said to be seven months pregnant, lived with her husband on Babapanmile Street, Mangoro Estate before the accident.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the woman was going for antenatal when she was crushed to death.

It was said that the driver fled from the scene immediately the accident occurred, leaving the bus behind.

A commercial motorcyclist at the estate’s gate, identified simply as Samuel, described the incident as unfortunate.

Samuel explained that a bus driver had waited for the 24-year-old woman to cross to the other side of the road.

He added that another oncoming bus on top speed overtook the waiting bus and slammed into the woman who also had her baby on her shoulder.

Samuel said, “I had just exchanged greetings with her before the incident. I joked with her, calling her mama ibeji (mother of twins). Few minutes later, the bus smashed her. Before people got to the spot, the driver had taken to his heels. She died immediately, but her daughter survived and has been taken to a nearby pharmacy,” Samuel said.

When our correspondent visited the pharmacy at 2pm on Saturday, the child was seen receiving treatment.

The husband, Itodo Onoh, however, said on Sunday that the girl had been transferred to a family hospital for intensive treatment.

Commenting on the incident, he said, “She is my life. I just pray that her only daughter get well soon because I was told she also has a dislocation.”

He added that his wife’s remains had been deposited at the Lagos State Teaching University Hospital morgue in Ikeja.

A policeman from Mangoro Police Station said the accident was reported to the station around 11am, adding that policemen had towed the bus to the station.

In a related development, it was learnt that a brown Volvo with number plate GGE 231 AJ, also on Saturday, had a brake failure and hit a woman and her son.

It was learnt that the car, strayed to the median where the woman and her son were standing.

The woman’s leg was said to have broken while her son sustained an injury in the nape of his neck.

“The duo was taken to a general hospital by the driver of the car,” a police source said.

A fruit seller in the area, identified simply as Mrs. Ogbona, complained about the spate of accident on the expressway.

Ogbona urged the government to construct a pedestrian bridge so as to forestall future occurrences.

“Accident is becoming rather unbearable on this road. In the morning there was one. Another followed two hours later. Government should help us,” Ishola said.