Banker dead as car plunges into Lagoon 28/7/2008


By Eric Ikhilae and Jude Isiguzo
A mangled Honda Accord LX marked NJ 674 AAA was retrieved by rescuers yesterday from the Lagos Lagoon. Its sole occupant, a man, was dead.

Up until 6p.m., people were trooping in to see the abandoned wreckage of the car believed to have fallen off the Third Mainland bridge. No one could explain what happened – not even three youths, who came around 5.30p.m. to inspect the vehicle. One of the three young men, who declined to give their names, said the vehicle’s occupant was a close friend. He gave the victim’s name as Ifeanyi, saying he was an employee of a frontline bank. The police identified the victim as Francis Nwugo Ifeanchukwu of 9, Solanke Street, Off Ajose Street, Maryland, Lagos Mainland.

According to the victim’s friend, they were returning in separate cars from Lagos Island, heading for Maryland when Ifeanyi’s car suddenly went missing.

Another member of the group, a light-complexioned man wearing a black polo shirt atop a pair of brown trousers, said his friend became worried after getting home and waiting in vain for Ifeanyi to arrive. The group visited the scene of the crash when they got information that a vehicle had plunged into the Lagoon on the Third Mainland bridge near Adekunle junction, at the Ebute-Metta exit point.

An eye-witness, who refused to be identified, said the accident occurred around 10.11pm on Saturday while he was on his way home. The man said he drew the attention of policemen to the incident early yesterday.

"It was too late; I would have called the fishermen who live around. I was on my way home yesterday night when I heard a loud noise on top of the bridge. Later, I saw something fell into the Lagoon below, and it just occurred to me that an accident might have happened and that it could be a vehicle that had just fallen into the lagoon. I also was in haste to get home.

"This morning when I came back, I went to the site which was very close to a security point on the bridge and told policemen on duty what I saw last night. It was then that they started making calls. But the rescue effort began around 3p.m. when the police and other security personnel came to the area. They were able to bring the car out of the water about 4.30p.m," the eye witness said.

It was learnt that the police recovered the victim’s identity card, his phone and other items with which he could easily be identified.

Lagos Police spokesman Frank Mba said the accident occurred at about 10.20 p.m. He said the rescue operation undertaken by Marine policemen, local divers and fishermen paid off at about 4.30p.m. yesterday when the car was retrieved.

The spokesman said the vehicle had been taken to Adekunle Police Station, Yaba, while the body would be kept in a government morgue. He could not immediately say what caused the accident, adding that the Police had begun investigation.


http://www.thenationonlineng.com/dynamicpage.asp?id=57154

Unfortunate
RIP

RIP this is really sad

sad,

accident happend 10pm. rescue did not start still 4pm the next day.

this is a city of 15million people.

lesson: do not drive in the night in Nigeria, simply does not make sense.

landis:

sad,
accident happened 10pm. rescue did not start still 4pm the next day.[color=#990000][/color]

Can you imagine that, even if he has just a CUT, he certainly would have bled to death before that time 4pm the next day

I really hope banks do somethin about this closing late syndrome
RIP

An eye-witness, who refused to be identified, said the accident occurred around 10.11pm on Saturday while he was on his way home. The man said he drew the attention of policemen to the incident early yesterday.

"It was too late; I would have called the fishermen who live around. I was on my way home yesterday night when I heard a loud noise on top of the bridge. Later, I saw something fell into the Lagoon below, and it just occurred to me that an accident might have happened and that it could be a vehicle that had just fallen into the lagoon. I also was in haste to get home.

"This morning when I came back, I went to the site which was very close to a security point on the bridge and told policemen on duty what I saw last night. It was then that they started making calls. But the rescue effort began around 3p.m.

Imagine this
Here in UK failure to stop at an accident scence is a crime i think the same should be introduced in naija also. Imaging waiting till d next day to inform police if d guy had been his sibling nko? and imagine police waiting till 3pm to start search also. No one knows if the guy could have been rescued if he was rescued immediately. Na wah 4 naija ooooo

@ Biggy08: Failure to stop at an accident scene is not a crime, if you are not involved.

In such cases, it's more of a humanitarian / moral issue, rather than a legal one.

RIP to HIM!! GOD needed You!!

sometimes i wonder what kind of evil spirit is controlling that third mainland bridge?

In The UK Failing to stop after an accident or failing to report an accident Maximum Punishment Imprissionment 6 months Fine £5,000 Driving Ban Discretionary Penalty Points5–10

biggy08:

In The UK Failing to stop after an accident or failing to report an accident Maximum Punishment Imprissionment 6 months Fine £5,000 Driving Ban Discretionary Penalty Points5–10

^{Only God knows how much £5,000 fine and points I have incurred as I pass through the A13 daily, where accidents are an everyday occurence and never for once thought I should have stopped.}

Siena:

@ Biggy08: Failure to stop at an accident scene is not a crime, if you are not involved.

In such cases, it's more of a humanitarian / moral issue, rather than a legal one.

@Biggy08

I am sure you are aware of the tail-back that happens whenever an accident occurs and people start

slowing down to watch. Now ^{indulge me,} and think about the grid-lock that would occur if

everyone obeyed that law and stopped for fear of being fined £5000, banned or imprisoned.

Lets not start bashing Naija again, believe me, if this happened in the Uk, the guy would most certainly die as well! so while our thoughts are with his family and friends, lets leave the other aspect ok.

biggy08:


Imagine this
Here in UK failure to stop at an accident scence is a crime i think the same should be introduced in naija also. Imaging waiting till d next day to inform police if d guy had been his sibling nko? and imagine police waiting till 3pm to start search also. No one knows if the guy could have been rescued if he was rescued immediately. Na wah 4 naija ooooo

Nigerian Police are not helping situation at all.If they try to get to the root of the matter and they coul'nt, you the eye witness might be the next person they will hold responsible.( I am talking form experience).

Its an unfortunate situation. may he RIP.

To those who are using the opportunity to bash Nigeria as usual: a tanker plunged into the sea yesterday, from a Maryland, USA, bridge. Please go and bash the US as well.

Weekend Crash Creates Traffic Nightmare

Traffic backed up at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge again this morning as authorities continued investigating a Sunday wreck that claimed the life of a truck driver whose tractor-trailer rig plunged through the side of the eastbound span and into the water.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/11/AR2008081100422.html

lexicon:

Nigerian Police are not helping situation at all.If they try to get to the root of the matter and they coul'nt, you the eye witness might be the next person they will hold responsible.( I am talking form experience).

Can you imagine, blaming the eye-witness, in a country you cannot act as a good samaritan if you see someone bleeding or injured by the roadside, because the hospital expects you to produce a police report before they can admit the person.

So pathetic!. RIP Ifeanyi

SeanT21:

RIP to HIM!! GOD needed You!!

bro may i say this was an unforseen and unfortunate situation, simply put an ACCIDENT! likely he was on speed or drunk or any mechanical failure from the car, if God needed him this way, don't you think he(God) is wicked? would you say if someone commited suicide by hanging himself that God needed him? i don't think so. he doesnt desire any to die

.

Rest In Peace

i will like to have answers to the following.
1. how cld someone fall into a river and no one saw him -- lemme guess, no proper lighting on the bridge that stretch that long.
2. rescuing team took over 12 hours before they start operation -- lemme guess, rescuing team needed to be rescued as well.
I guess nigerian roads are still death traps

$$Rhino:

i will like to have answers to the following.
1. how cld someone fall into a river and no one saw him -- let me guess, no proper lighting on the bridge that stretch that long.
2. rescuing team took over 12 hours before they start operation -- let me guess, rescuing team needed to be rescued as well.
I guess nigerian roads are still death traps

[color=#000099][/color]


One of the major causes of the accident was the fact that the victim,Ifeanyi was just learning how to drive,and he made the mistake of driving by himself at night.

rip,

I wonder what is taking so long to electrify the KETU-3rd Mainland-VI Corridor? Maybe if the bridge had lights, the victim would see better. The Commisioners of Environment and Worrks should be accountable in a Law Suit. The the guy who saw what happened, na wa for him O!!