Bus rams power post in Quezon City; 1 dead, 14 hurt

A 32-year-old man was killed and 14 others injured when a speeding bus rammed a Manila Electric Co. post in Barangay North Fairview, Quezon City yesterday morning.

Police Officer 2 Ferdinand Paglinawan of the Quezon City Traffic Sector 2 identified the fatality as Michael Franca, 32, of St. Catherine street in Barangay Holy Spirit. Franca was reportedly crossing Don Mariano Marcos Avenue when a Rubino Elena bus (PWZ-900) struck him.

“The victim’s death was brutal,” Paglinawan told The STAR in an interview. “Apparently, he was hit by the bus (then) he was dragged and pinned between the bus and the wall of a building, which was smashed after the concrete Meralco post split due to the impact.”

Paglinawan said driver Joel Bacus, 37, claimed the bus lost its brakes and he could no longer control the steering wheel. The bus was on its way to Baclaran from Bulacan at around 9 a.m. when the incident happened.

The mishap, Paglinawan said, also caused a power outage in the area.

Thirteen passengers of the bus sustained bruises and abrasions and were brought to a nearby hospital for treatment, the investigator said.

Bacus, who sustained wounds in his foot, was also brought to the hospital even as he was placed under the custody of the Quezon City Traffic Sector 2. He will be charged with reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property with multiple physical injuries and homicide.