4 hurt in 3-truck smashup

At least four people were injured when a wayward dump truck rammed two other cargo trucks before dawn yesterday on MacArthur Highway in Valenzuela City.

Senior Inspector Erwin de Guzman, Valenzuela City police traffic unit chief, identified the victims as Richard Pusag, 30, Anastacio Abao Jr., 35, Victoriano Silanillo, 49; and Bernal Marondan, 19. Marondan is a helper while the others are all truck drivers.

All the victims were brought to the Valenzuela City General Hospital for treatment.

“Most of the victims’ injuries were only on the legs and they were released from the hospital after treatment but… the vehicles… incurred heavy damage,” Senior Police Officer 1 Waldo Grijalvo, Valenzuela City traffic investigator, told The STAR.

Grijalvo said Pusag, with Marondan as his passenger, lost control of his dump truck when the brakes malfunctioned en route to Bulacan. The truck was loaded with charcoal. 

The dump truck smashed into a 10-wheeler Isuzu cargo truck, loaded with corrugated boxes, driven by Abao at an intersection in Barangay Malinta. Carried by its own momentum, Pusag’s truck then hit another tractor truck driven by Silanillo on the opposite lane. 

The three-truck smashup caused heavy traffic on MacArthur Highway and it took traffic personnel three hours to clear the highway.

Pusag faces charges of reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property and physical injuries. – Pete Laude, Jerry Botial