Old acacia tree falls, kills PUJ driver

CEBU, Philippines - A century-old Acacia tree along Sikatuna Street got uprooted following yesterday’s heavy rains and smashed the front end of a passenger jeepney that got trapped in traffic in front of the Zapatera Elementary School early yesterday afternoon.

The jeepney’s driver, 63-year-old Clenio Bontuyan, died after he was pinned down his seat. The six passengers, including the man seated beside Bontuyan at the front seat, were safe.

The 13C jeepney was travelling to Barangay Talamban from downtown Cebu City when the incident occurred around 2:30 pm. The tree was estimated to weigh 20 tons.

One of the passengers, Naly Lerasan, 59, said there were five passengers seated at the back portion of the jeepney.

She narrated that a few seconds before the incident, a branch of the Acacia tree fell right in front of the jeepney. Because their vehicle was at a stop, she asked the male passenger at the front seat to check what was happening but she was surprised that the male passenger scampered away after looking up the sky.

The next thing she knew, a massive thing had fallen on the jeepney, shaking the vehicle massively upon impact. At that point, she reportedly could only see the back part of Bontuyan’s hip while the rest of his body was covered by the metal roof that got bended down with the impact.

Witnesses said the tree was falling slowly towards the vehicle. Residents in the area said three loud bangs were heard when the 12-meter Acacia tree hit tension wires on the other side of the road.

Rescue

Personnel from the Zapatera Elementary School were the first to respond to the incident, using the school’s chainsaw to cut parts of the tree truck.

Moments later at around 2:44 pm, the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF) arrived followed by personnel of the Cebu City Fire Department headed by Fire Marshal Aderson Comar and the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council.

The rescuers cut off huge chunks of the tree to retrieve Bontuyan who was still pinned inside the jeepney. With only two chainsaws used, the process lasted at least 50 minutes before rescuers finally removed the part of the tree trunk that pinned Bontuyan down.

ERUF personnel then used high-powered cutters to cut away the metal roof that had crumpled on top of Bontuyan. The process lasted for 10 minutes.

Bontuyan was rushed to the Cebu City Medical Center where he was later identified with the driver’s license found inside his pocket.

Threat

Following the incident, Mayor Michael Rama asked Cebuanos to report big trees that they feel pose a threat to their safety. He also asked experts to help the city government identify hundred year old trees here.

Hours before the incident in Zapatera, traffic was halted when a telephone pole fell on a taxi shortly before 9am yesterday along P. Del Rosario Street near the Santo Rosario Church.

According to witnesses, a 10-wheeler trailer truck snagged some wires, which toppled the concrete pole. Luckily, the pole only hit the hood of the taxi and the driver, Richard Cabucos, was left unharmed.

The incident affected traffic for almost two hours, especially along P. Del Rosario Street, N. Bacalso Avenue, Osmeña boulevard, Imos Street, V. Rama Street and Panganiban Street. (FREEMAN)