Bus rear-ends truck: 3 dead, 15 hurt

MANILA, Philippines - Three persons were killed and 15 more were injured after a passenger bus rear-ended a trailer truck loaded with sand early Thursday morning along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) in Valenzuela City.

City Traffic Enforcement Unit chief Senior Inspector Erwin de Guzman identified the fatalities as William Calma, 55, driver of the ill-fated bus owned by the Genesis Transportation Services, Inc.; Junalito Junio, 25, conductor-apprentice in the same bus and bus passenger Aguilar Bunsa, 40.

All three died on the spot. The bus driver’s body was cut in two due to the impact, Junio’s left arm was severed while Bunsa crashed into the bus’ windshield and out into the pavement, witnesses told investigators at the scene.

Witnesses told probers the impact was so severe the seats in front were compressed into the other seats at the back of the bus.

The regular bus conductor, Wilfredo Italia Paguio, 30, who was seated near the ones who died, was taken to the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon for a dislocated pelvis.

According to initial reports, both vehicles were approaching Kilometer 12 along NLEX in Barangay Gen. T. de Leon in Valenzuela City when the accident happened at around 4:30 a.m. yesterday.

Police Officer 3 Hanival Pariñas of the Valenzuela City police’s traffic sector said truck driver Elmar Gomez, 32, was cruising at the minimum speed of 60 kilometers per hour in the slow lane when he felt a loud thud and a sudden push from behind his vehicle.

At the time, Gomez said he was reducing speed as he needed to make a stop in the next kilometer post (Km 11) down the highway.

Pariñas said the driver of the ill-fated bus could have fallen asleep for a second and lost control of the vehicle as Gomez slowed the truck down. Gomez has been taken into custody by the Valenzuela City police.

Pariñas said 14 bus passengers suffered less serious injuries. Eight were rushed to the Manila Central University (MCU) Hospital while two remained confined at the Quezon City General Hospital at presstime. The rest were sent home after receiving first aid treatment, he said.

Among the injured taken to the MCU Hospital were Jessielyn Ponciano, 40, of Mariveles, Bataaan; Rose Jane Dacula, 26, of Mexico, Pampanga; Jean Minnie Gomez, 23, of San Matias, Pampanga; Emmanuel Sunglag of San Fernando, Pampanga; Walter Nacional, 26 and Anthony Lucendo, 24, of Dulong Santol, Porac, Pampanga; and Federico Buban, 60, of Sto. Rosario, Mexico, Pampanga.

Taken to other hospitals were Antonio Alamaza, 53, of Doon Bibolo, Orion, Bataan; Gerald Alano, 21, of Cataning, Balanga City, Bataan; Maria Theresa Dizon, 40, of Rizal, Guagua, Pampanga; and Lilian Militante, 58, of Tenejeros, Balanga, Bataan.

The bus was a total wreck and was towed to the bus firm’s impounding area in Pulilan, Bulacan, Pariñas said. The sand truck (PKE-803) sustained minor damages. – With Pete Laude, Ding Cervantes