Family blames LASUTH for negligence in brother's death after accident

The family of a 46-year-old man, Olatunde Joseph Ojelabi, is accusing the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital of negligence. They claim he was left for more than six hours without emergency treatment after getting serious injuries in a road accident.

Ojelabi’s brother, Kolawole Ojelabi, shared this in a Facebook post while mourning his brother. Olatunde died at the hospital on September 12, 2026, six days after the crash.

Kolawole reported that Olatunde was driving his family to church on September 6, a day before his 46th birthday. He said a commercial tricycle suddenly turned on Ijegun Road, Ikotun, Lagos State.

Kolawole said Olatunde swerved to avoid hitting the tricycle but crashed into a parked vehicle. The impact caused the airbags to deploy but also led the steering wheel to hit Olatunde’s face, leaving him badly injured, especially on the right side of his face.

Initially, Olatunde was taken to a nearby private hospital but was later referred to LASUTH due to the seriousness of his injuries. Kolawole claimed Olatunde arrived at the LASUTH Medical Emergency Unit before 9 am but was left outside the emergency ward because the medical team said there were no beds available.

Kolawole alleged that his brother waited without what the family saw as urgent medical help for over six hours before his condition worsened. "He began to convulse and eventually suffered a cardiac arrest," he said.

Medical staff intervened later to resuscitate Olatunde and performed a tracheostomy to help him breathe. Kolawole said his brother was then moved to the Intensive Care Unit. He also said the family was asked to buy a plastic bucket, towel, and detergent to clean the blood on the floor.

Kolawole claimed he had to check himself in the ICU to find out if there was a bed space for Olatunde. The family later paid for caregivers and was told to buy medicines and do several tests in the first three days in the ICU.

He mentioned that the family was not given enough information about the medications or the treatment plan. "I eventually had to ask one of the senior doctors at LASUTH to come to the ICU and explain my brother’s condition to us," he said.

The doctor told them what had been done for Olatunde and said he was "still critically ill." Kolawole said this experience left the family wondering if things could have been different if Olatunde had received immediate care at LASUTH.

He questioned why a seriously injured accident victim was waiting for a bed and if proper emergency protocols were followed. "Could earlier help have avoided the decline that followed?" he asked.

Olatunde died on September 12, five days after his 46th birthday. Kolawole said the family wants answers about how he was treated. He emphasized that this is not just about their grief but about accountability in emergency healthcare.

"If there were mistakes in the care he received, those mistakes must be confronted honestly and with transparency," he said. Kolawole called on the Lagos State Government, LASUTH management, healthcare regulators, and other relevant authorities to look into what happened and find out the truth.

“Olatunde Joseph Ojelabi was alive when he arrived at LASUTH. He left the hospital six days later in death. His family deserves answers. Lagos deserves answers. And Nigerians deserve a healthcare system where emergency patients are treated first as human lives, not as numbers waiting for beds,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, LASUTH responded in a statement on its Facebook page. They said Olatunde was assessed as a polytrauma patient needing special care from different medical teams. The hospital said he was managed by several consultant surgeons based on his injuries.

LASUTH noted that the patient’s condition was critical and required close monitoring and teamwork from various specialists. They mentioned that despite the interventions and care given, Olatunde’s condition unfortunately got worse, and he died in the ICU about seven days after he arrived.

The hospital said the claim that the patient was left unattended was “not consistent with the information available to the hospital regarding the patient’s care.” They explained that as a tertiary healthcare institution, they provide specialized care for severely injured patients.

LASUTH acknowledged the family’s concerns and understood the pain of losing a loved one. They said they take allegations about patient care seriously and will review what happened during Olatunde’s treatment and outcome.

According to LASUTH, the review will help establish the facts and find any areas needing attention. They promised to provide more clarification through proper channels while respecting the family’s privacy. LASUTH reaffirmed its commitment to providing safe and compassionate care to patients and maintaining professionalism in healthcare delivery.