By Ogochukwu Isioma
The Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt Hon Comrade Philip Shaibu, on Monday, saved the lives of some victims involved in an auto crash on the popular Ovia River bridge, along the ever-busy Benin-Ore-Lagos expressway in the Ovia North East Local Government Area of the state.
Shaibu was on an inspection to Ovia River to see the level of damages on the road which has caused multiple accidents in recent times, following last Thursday’s ghastly accident that occurred on the bridge involving a Toyota Hiace 18 seater bus and a truck, where no fewer than 11 persons lost their lives.
Accompanied by the Commissioner for roads and bridges, Hon Osaze Ethan Uzamere, Shaibu joined to rescue a lady trapped in the middle of the bridge who was involved in another accident that occurred today, involving a truck, a Siena and Lexus car.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the truck driver lost control due to over-speeding and hit the commercial Siena bus from the rear while the Lexus 350 car went off-balance and obstructed another car in front of it.
Shaibu joined to rescue the helpless accident victims who were immediately rushed to the hospital by a team of Federal Road safety Corps (FRSC) officials, while he paid divers to enter the river to rescue those whose vehicle fell into the river.
The Deputy Governor also saw to the immediate removal of all the vehicles involved in the accident from the road to prevent impeding the free-flow of traffic on the bridge.
He expressed readiness of the state government to fix the dilapidated Ovia road, noting that the government will immediately carry out palliative measures on the road through Levante Construction Company (LCC).
The Deputy Governor, however, appealed to the motoring public to always ensure that their vehicles are in good condition, particularly the brake system before driving on the road.
Shaibu had last Friday, following the Thursday’s accident that claimed lives on the Ovia river bridge, noted that the state government was ready to repair deplorable federal roads across the state to prevent accidents and waste of time on the roads.
