Train accident: The bus driver submits to psychiatric and drug testing and asks for forgiveness

A train and a bus collided on Thursday at the PWD/ Shogunle railway line on the Agege motorway in Lagos, and the driver of the Lagos State Government Staff bus, who was held responsible, has asked the accident victims for their forgiveness.

While some survivors claimed that Oluwaseun Osinbajo, the 44-year-old driver, was using his earpiece while operating the bus and disregarded the flag officers’ instructions at the rail line, he instead assigned blame for the accident to a mechanical issue with the bus.

In addition, the Police stated that as of the time this report was being written, the results of the medical report, which included a blood sample to determine whether the driver was using drugs or not, had not been released.

The driver was yesterday transferred to the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department, SCIID, from the Lagos State Ministry of Transport.

He was telling some of his waiting relatives something, which Vanguard overheard.

It wasn’t my fault, he said. How could I have disregarded the signs? A mechanical issue existed with the bus.

It is unfortunate that this has occurred. In the name of God, I humbly implore everyone who has been harmed to pardon me.

victims’ names and identities

Some of the survivors, who were taken to the Orile Agege General Hospital on Thursday, included:

Mariam Olayiwola, 18, from the Ministry of Health; Mr. Juwon Fagbohun, 27, from the Agency for Mass Education; and Eniola Fashoyin, 53, from the Office of the Head of Service, PSO Alausa.

Others included Mrs. Adejoke Banjo, 42, of the Office of the Head of Service; Olaide Alabi, 21, a student on an industrial attachment with the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Empowerment; Sekinat Ogunremi, 24; Aishat Gbadegeshin, 25; Ganiyat Raji, from the Ministry of Science and Technology; and Mrs. Oluwatoyin Abiodun, 46; all of whom worked for the Ministry of Information and Strategy.

My survival was a miracle; I was saved by moving seats

Some of them hadn’t fully recovered from their shock. One of them described her survival as a miracle and explained how she came so close to losing her life. I would have been one of those in the morgue, the survivor who requested anonymity said.

When I got on the bus in Ikotun, I took a seat in the middle row, near the window, which had become my regular seat.

However, a friend from the Head of Service (names withheld) invited me to join her on the third row, in front, on that fateful day. She claimed that the person for whom she had reserved the seat had called to cancel her plans to board the staff bus. I vacated my fixed seat in that manner, which also happened to be the spot the train struck.

“Every time I think back on that, I quickly shrug off the idea of dying. I am thankful that only God could have done this.

The staff bus transports every employee of the Lagos State State Government residing in the Ikotun/Isolo area, regardless of the department or agency, so long as the employee is headed for the secretariat, according to a different survivor who only went by the name Ope.

I took a seat in one of the first three rows. I fell asleep as soon as I got on the bus so I could get some rest before getting to the office.

“But a shout of ‘e ma lo, e duro’ (‘don’t go, wait!’) roused me from my sleep. I was awake and aware of what was happening. I heard a loud bang before I could turn my head. Many of us were thrown from our seats by the impact. I blacked out after hitting my head on a hard surface. I was in an ambulance being transported to Orile Agege General Hospital when I opened my eyes.

Medical Exam

The driver was to undergo a medical examination, which included a drug test, when the Railway Command’s Commissioner of Police, CP Yetunde Longe, arrived at the scene the following day.

She stated that the results of the test had not yet been released when contacted about them.

She stated: “There was a flag officer at the railway crossing flagging him down, but he refused to stop. We handed the driver over to doctors for a medical examination. That’s why we need to give him a complete medical evaluation.

“As a driver, this is one of the tests you need to pay attention to because a train operator will be honking to alert people that a train is approaching when you get to a level crossing. Drivers need to be patient while waiting for the train to pass.

His blood was drawn, and the results are pending. She spoke.

a sense of obstruction

Some Lagos residents, however, criticized the Nigeria Railway Corporation for failing to erect a barrier at the location.

According to Fagbemin Sognesan, a member of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, “normally, there should be a barrier at every bus stop on the railway. If one had been built, the Lagos State Government Staff bus driver would have been compelled to slow down and let the train pass. I just hope that the government will take this into account and take the appropriate action. .

Sanwo-Olu expresses sympathy to the victims’ families

Mrs. Esther Olayinka Rokosu, who lived in block 361, flat 5, Jakande Estate, Oke-Afa, Lagos, was one of the victims who died in the collision. Esther, who passed away on Monday, March 6, 2023, at the age of 40, worked for the Office of the Head of Service. She had intended to mark her birthday this coming Sunday.

However, she reportedly received a call from her boss asking for a flash drive, so she went to deliver it on Thursday without realizing she wouldn’t make it to her birthday tomorrow.

Yesterday afternoon, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu personally paid Raymond, her widower, a condolence visit.

Raymond lost control of his emotions and started crying throughout.

The governor then traveled along the same axis to Bunknor to offer the grieving father his condolences.

(Vanguard)