2 dead, 4 hurt in NAIA car crash
MANILA, Philippines — A man and a five-year-old girl died and four others were injured after a car plowed into a crowd and crashed near the entrance of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 yesterday morning.
Driver Leo Gonzales, 47, of Tayuman, Batangas is in police custody. Video footage showed the black Ford Everest he was driving accelerating suddenly from a parking slot at the departure area and crashing into the terminal’s glass wall, pinning victims.
Three of the injured were taken to San Juan de Dios Hospital in Pasay. Other victims were treated by medical personnel of the New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) and Manila International Airport Authority.
Edith Soriano, 55, Cynthia Masongsong, 34, and a four-year-old girl were later transported to St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig.
Masongsong's five-year-old daughter Maliya and Dearick Keo Faustino, 28, died.
Jovita Escarlos suffered minor injuries and declined hospital transport.
Gonzales told authorities that he panicked and stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brakes after a sedan supposedly crossed his path.
But closed-circuit television footage showed no sedan crossing the path of the Everest. Instead the SUV suddenly accelerated, crashing through the outer railing and into the walkway.
Gonzales will undergo a drug test. His driver’s license has been suspended for 90 days by the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
Aid for victims
NNIC president Ramon Ang has committed to providing aid to victims.
“This is a very tragic incident. Our priority now is to make sure the victims and their families receive the support and care they need,” Ang said.
Medical expenses of the four injured victims and financial aid to families of the two casualties will be shouldered by Ang.
Emergency teams swiftly responded to the incident, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said.
“It does not appear that the driver intentionally came here to run people over. He had actually dropped off a passenger,” he said.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the Health Emergency Management Bureau is providing aid to victims.
The NNIC has urged the public “not to speculate and to wait for verified updates.”
Marcos Highway incident
Meanwhile, the LTO has issued a show-cause order to the driver and owners of a truck that tilted and caused heavy traffic along Marcos Highway on May 2.
“This is where common sense and discipline on the road come into play again. If you already know that it’s risky or unlikely your vehicle can make it through a road, why force it?” LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II pointed out.
“It’s exactly because of a lack of discipline and disregard for fellow motorists that they insisted – and as a result, others were inconvenienced,” he added.
Transport safety board
Sen. Grace Poe has renewed her calls for the creation of a Philippine Transportation Safety Board following recent road accidents..
On May 1, 10 died and 37 were injured after a speeding bus crashed into multiple vehicles at the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) toll plaza.
The transportation safety board would be the “sole agency in charge of investigating transportation-related accidents and incidents in air, land and sea, including railways and pipeline systems,” Poe said.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said recent incidents at NAIA and SCTEX highlight the “urgent need to instill in road users the necessary road safety disciplines and behaviors for a safer road environment.”
Former interior secretary and senatorial candidate Benhur Abalos has vowed to support calls to impose higher penalties for speeding, drunk driving and overloading.
Abalos also called for the construction of more marked pedestrian crossings, motorcycle lanes and overpasses. — Mayen Jaymalin, Christine Boton, Mark Ernest Villeza
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