22nd June, 2012
A fleeing driver of a van has crushed a pregnant woman at Adekunle junction on the foot of Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos southwest Nigeria.
The 35-year-old woman, Fatima Usman, from Offa, Kwara State, who lived in a shop at 27 Wright Street Temidire, Lagos was crushed by the driver who was fleeing from the officials of the Road Safety Corps.
According to her step-sister, Mrs. Amina Akinpelu, the accident occurred when pregnant Fatima, who was expecting a set of twins, was coming back from her traditional herbal doctor where she went to receive treatment.
On her way home, she sat down at the foot of the bridge to rest.
Akinpelu said while she was waiting for the traffic to be light before crossing, Fatima was crushed by the pure water van driver with registration number BDG-259XA. The driver was reversing the van at full speed in order to flee from the road safety officials in front of Eskab Hotel at the foot of the bridge opposite her house.
P.M.NEWS gathered that when the incident occurred, Fatima was rushed to three hospitals but was rejected before she was taken to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, where she was pronounced dead.
Meanwhile, youths, who were at the scene of the incident, vandalized the vehicle, but the driver of the van managed to escape from the angry mob. However, his assistant was arrested and detained at Adekunle Police Station, Lagos.
A youth leader and CDA Secretary of the area, Babatunde Babarinde, said the deceased had two children and was expecting a set of twins at the end of this month.
He added that the pregnant woman, who sold food, was popular in the area because she was kind.
P.M.NEWS gathered that Fatimo’s corpse has been deposited at Lagos Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idiaraba, Lagos State.
The husband of the deceased also disclosed to P.M. NEWS, that the corpse of the deceased would be taken to her home town and the owner of the pure water van has promised to give the deceased’s parents N700,000 for burial expenses.
—Luck Lawal