The Federal Road Safety Corps announced on Tuesday that it is awaiting the results of a comprehensive technical investigation into the road accident involving Nigerian boxing star Anthony Joshua that occurred in Ogun State on Monday.
However, a preliminary assessment by the Corps’ Crash Observatory found that excessive speed was the primary contributing factor.
The accident occurred around noon near Sinoma axis in Sagamu, Ogun state. It involved a black Lexus SUV and a stopped red Sino truck.
According to FRSC, five adult males were involved in the accident. Two of them, identified as Joshua’s friends, died instantly. One person was injured, but the other two were unhurt. Joshua reportedly survived the accident with only minor injuries.
Speaking on Channels TV program Sunrise Daily, FRSC spokesperson Olusegun Ogunbemide said the corps had carried out an initial professional assessment at the scene. However, he stressed that only a full technical report could determine the final cause of the crash.
He explained that the Accident Observatory’s staff, made up of experienced safety experts, investigated the accident scene immediately after the accident and drew preliminary conclusions based on impact analysis and road geometry.
“If you look at the effects of that accident, you can definitely see that someone who would have been driving below the federal speed limit would not have been affected as much,” he said.
Ogunbemido noted that the truck involved in the accident was parked on the roadside and was not reported to have broken down at the scene.
“The information we have received is that the car did not break down there. He probably parked there on the shoulder of the road,” he said.
He said that although the speed-measuring device was not actively recording data at the exact time of the crash, a trained officer could infer an estimated speed based on the level of injury and the force of the impact.
“At that time, there was no technical equipment to actually check how fast a vehicle was traveling.
“However, observing the impact of a collision should give us an idea of how fast the vehicle may have been traveling,” the spokesperson explained.
He pointed out that the maximum speed limit on the motorway is 100km/h, and crashes that occur within that limit are unlikely to have serious consequences.
“The collision and impact involving the jeep and the parked truck allows us to make a more accurate guess, but we await the technical investigation that is currently under review,” Ogunbemido said.
The FRSC spokesperson also cited concerns about emergency response, saying a patrol team arrived at the scene within three minutes of the collision.
“Response time was three minutes,” Ogunbemido said, adding, “There are more than five ambulance waiting areas in the corridor where this incident occurred.”
Commenting on Joshua’s condition, Ogunbemide said he responded at the scene and received prompt assistance.
He confirmed that Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed had directed that the technical investigation be completed and the results communicated to the public.
“The public will be contacted as soon as we have a conclusion,” he said.
