3 die, 8 hurt in 2 road accidents; smash-up causes SLEX traffic jam

Three persons were killed and eight others were injured in two separate traffic accidents in Metro Manila, one on the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) in Muntinlupa which triggered an eight-hour traffic jam.

Two persons were confirmed killed while three others were slightly injured in a smash-up involving two heavy trucks and an L-200 Mitsubishi pick-up at the SLEX near the Sucat interchange, Muntinlupa City, yesterday morning.

In the other incident, a man was killed while five others were injured when a passenger bus driver lost control of his vehicle and rammed a group of bystanders along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

Because of the lack of heavy tow-trucks to immediately clear the SLEX of the damaged vehicles and debris and the apparent failure of Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC) enforcers to respond quickly to the accident, traffic inside the expressway virtually came to a halt for almost eight hours.

Twelve hours after the traffic accident, PNCC and Skyway Corp. investigators had yet to officially identify the fatalities in the accident which only underscored their apparent lack of competence to handle serious traffic accidents.

Records at the Hillside Hospital in Muntinlupa showed that Henry Dompenada, 22, who was among the five persons who were pinned under one of the three vehicles involved, was dead on arrival early morning yesterday.

The other fatality, Carlito Carreon, 36, Barangay 4, Calamba, Laguna was taken to the Muntinlupa Medical Center with three others who were only slightly injured.

Billy Juerra, Skyway radio operator, said that the accident occurred at about 3:35 a.m. when a northbound tractor trailer with license plates PLC-812, driven by Niño Hernandez and loaded with concrete posts and construction beams, suddenly developed mechanical trouble and skidded into the opposite lane of the highway.

An approaching 10-wheeler truck with license plates EAH-506, rammed into it, sending the concrete cargo tumbling down the highway.

Several concrete posts hit a southbound L-200 pick-up with license plates TLF-108.

Skyway authorities have yet to identify who were the drivers of the vehicles involved in the mishap that triggered heavy traffic as far as Carmona exit in Cavite, stranding thousands of commuters.

Juerra, however, explained that their traffic investigators who arrived at the scene of the accident at about 7:45 a.m. have yet to file a complete traffic report. Their failure to clear the highway of the concrete posts and the wrecked vehicles, he explained, was due to the absence of a heavy crane.

In Quezon City, fatality Sergio Manalili, vendor, of 120 Odigal st., Barangay Commonwealth, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Fairview General Hospital due to fractured bones and a broken skull.

The other victims were identified as Bernardo Ganzali, 30, of Goldman st., Fairview; Mae Tabicos, 35, of North Olympus, Novaliches; Marieta Tampos and her children Maridel, 6 and Rico, 1, of Maligaya Subdivision, Novaliches, all in Quezon City.

They were treated and confined at the Fairview General Hospital.

The unidentified suspect, driver of an Elena Transit bus (PWF-757) immediately fled after the incident.

Charges of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple physical injuries and damage to property with homicide are being readied against the suspect. – Jaime Laude and Pia Lee-Brago