10 hurt as anotherbus falls into ditch

CEBU, Philippines - After 28 people were injured when a dump truck hit a bus in Naga City last Thursday, another 10 people were hurt after a mini-bus fell into an open drainage ditch in San Fernando town yesterday.

Residents in Barangay Pitalo, San Fernando, heard a loud crash around 6 a.m. yesterday, before they found the Alvios mini-bus with license plate numbers GWJ-748 in the ditch.

All those injured were taken to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City. They were identified as Alexander Navarro, 51; Angelisa Soroño, 39; Condrada Daso, 53; Roel Antipolo, 34; Elma Alhalis, 36; Loren Laude, 32; Lilian Cavilino, 41; Corazon Zamante, 62; Nympha Duropan, 56; and Lucrucio Lucido, 73.

The driver, Danilo Navarez, 41, of Barangay Ocaña, Carcar City, said he was traveling to Carcar City when the tie rod end of the vehicle broke and he lost control. The tie rod connects the steering mechanism to the tires.

“Naka-brake pa ko pero pagpaka dili na ma-control ang manibela,” Navarez said.

The vehicle was traveling towards Carcar City from Cebu City at the time.

Navarez is now detained at the San Fernando police stockade but is set to be released after the prescribed period. The owner of the bus also assured to shoulder medical expenses of those injured.

Meanwhile, the driver of the Calvo passenger bus that fell on its side last Thursday and caused injuries to 28 people voluntarily surrendered to the Naga City police around 10 a.m. yesterday.

Marcial Vasquez, 31, of Barangay Talavera, Toledo City said he wanted to surrender to the police after the accident but the fear of getting mauled by residents of Barangay Mainit held him back.

“I was not afraid of getting arrested, but I was afraid of getting beaten by the residents,” he said in Cebuano.

Even though he was hurt, Vasquez managed to run and board a vehicle heading home.

Vasquez suffered minor injuries in the head and both arms from glass from the broken windshield.

The bus Vasquez was driving tried to overtake a truck and was hit in the left front side by another truck while it was in the opposite lane. It zigzagged and slammed into banana trees along the road before it fell on its side.

Nine people were seriously injured and still under medication at the South General Hospital.

Sixteen persons sustained minor injuries while three others no longer need further treatment.

Vasquez defended himself saying he was given the go signal by the driver of the truck he was tailing which prompted him to overtake.

Vasquez said it was his first accident in his 12 years of driving a bus. He may face charges for reckless imprudence resulting in multiple physical injuries. —/BRP (FREEMAN)