9 hurt as crane hits jeepney, bus

MANILA, Philippines - A jeepney driver and his eight passengers were injured when a crane rear-ended the vehicle, causing the jeepney to hit an oncoming bus in Navotas City yesterday.

Andy Ronquillo, of the Navotas City traffic management office, said that jeepney driver Michael Carillo, 28, was turning left on C-4 Road at around 11:45 a.m. when his vehicle was hit by a crane driven by Beltran Picol, 57.

“The speeding crane was coming from opposite direction and it smashed the rear of the passenger jeepney, dragging it to an oncoming Cher bus,” traffic officer Rodgard Indiano told The STAR.

Jorge Caballero, 41, the bus driver, was able to stop but his vehicle still collided with the jeepney.

Five of the victims were brought to the Dr. Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center and four others, including Carillo, to the Tondo Medical Center. Ronquillo said none of the victims suffered major injuries.

“Picol claimed that he was rushing to a pier in Manila for a scheduled job from their base in Caloocan when he accidentally hit the passenger jeepney,” Ronquillo said.

Ronquillo said Picol and Caballero were still being investigated while the firm that owns the crane, G-7 Heavy Lift Inc., was notified of the incident.