@bankoletaiwo Last Tweet

Earlier in the week I read someone's post of Facebook, it was a RIP statement about a guy named Bankole Taiwo. Later that day on my Twitter timeline, someone else wrote a condolence message about the same guy. In the message, the guy's Twitter handle was typed in place of his name. Out of curiosity I clicked on it & realised the guy's last tweet was a retweet of an accident on the same road/day he died.

I'll try not to be insensitive [although you might perceive it as such] but two scenarios played in my head. Both of 'em started with @imagervet who was plying the Lagos-Ibadan expressway with her husband behind the wheels.

Her tweet...

"@Imagervet: The best part of the day,when dawn meets morn, cars scanty on the road,sleep just moving out of the way,arms around me....hmmmm....."

...was poetic & gives an idea of the setting along Lagos-Ibadan expressway. It was followed by:

"@Imagervet: Accident just occured on Lagos- Ibadan expressway....multiple dead bodies....just before RatCon....pls RT...missed it by minutes..."

She went a bit further to shout out for a retweet from @IBcity_Traffic:

"@Imagervet: Pls @IBcity_Traffic kindly help call ambulance services....accident just before RatCon leaving Ibadan,at least 6 dead...."

Now the first scenario...

@Imagervet's message got a RT, even from the deceased. Now I'm thinking, after the accident occurred was the deceased first response to tweet about the event? His tweet below...

"@bankoletaiwo: RT "@ayotheboss: RT @Gidi_Traffic: #REPORT [10:02AM] @Imagervet: ACCIDENT just occured on LAGOS- IBADAN EXPRESS. ... http://t.co/btm6Vzlm"

Now, since he died I'll assume he was probably in pain after the impact. @imagervet had also tweet:

"@Imagervet: Saw only 3 come out of bus,others appear badly injured...pls RT...some are lying on the road,hubby thinks tire mishap,lone bus...."

Either he was among the 3 or "some...lying on the road" he was in pain and pulled through to use his phone to tweet. Probably to call for help for himself or others. He noticed someone on his timeline had tweet about the accident so to save time he decided to RT. That is an explanation how the accident ended up as his last tweet.

The second scenario...

From @Imagervet tweet moments later...

"@Imagervet: A new appreciation of safe passage...saw about 4 fresh accidents this a.m.....too many factors at play....thankfulity....."

She witnessed "4 fresh accidents' that morning. It could be @bankoletaiwo's last tweet was about an accident before his. He was probably on his phone, reading his timeline and stumbled about an accident on Lagos-Ibadan expressway. That would have gotten his attention because he was in a vehicle plying that saw route. He decided to RT unknown to him what fate had ahead. Moments later, his vehicle was also involved in an accident and he died.

Now, I don't care if you feel I'm insensitive.
Remember the story of the Good Samaritan in the Bible, Jesus told it as a parable. It was about how men walked passed a man who was robbed and left wounded by the roadside. I see what happened as a modern version of the parable. @Imagervet & her husband drove pass "4 fresh accidents" and all she could do was tweet about it. On her blog,
http://randomthoughts-n.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/for-bankole-taiwo-et-al-2012.html?spref=tw&m=1,
she wrote about the incident & stated "There appeared to be several dead and 3men hobbled away from the scene..." and her reaction to it was "...I was ready to be recruited to assassinate those responsible for the state of that road".

I think we need to check our humanity. If good roads prevented accidents, America would not experience a high rate. Fact is it happens & lots of factors contribute to it. The blame game won't cut it. Like I said, we need to check our humanity. If God had put you in a situation to witness more than four accidents & you weren't involved in any, of what value is your testimony if you failed to assist one victim. We all know God is good all the time but how do we use the blessing?

I am moved by this because I've been in multiple situations where I had strangers rush me to the hospital. Such act of humanity helps a lot and a huge difference between life & death. Don't just tweet about it. Tweeting was the easiest way to pass along responsibility & there was over a 90% chance whoever reads it will do the same. For instance, see how a tweet originated from @imagervet > @IBcity_Traffic > @Gidi_Traffic > @ayotheboss > @bankoletaiwo < deceased on the same road.

Rest in Peace to those who lost their lives that day.