BY: VANESSA BUGTONG
Six passengers were injured after a bus crashed into another bus it was following along Marcos Highway in Baguio City on the morning of May 23.
Still shocked by the incident was 56-year-old bus conductor Jose Pinto of the Florida Bus.
“We were just chatting when something suddenly slammed into the back of our bus,” Pinto recalled.
The Florida Bus was headed uphill toward Baguio City from Tuguegarao when the accident occurred.
Pinto said they were moving slowly because a jeepney had stopped in front of them.
“A jeep stopped ahead of us so we had to halt too, but then this other bus came out of nowhere and hit us from behind,” he said.
Christine Calasiao, a passenger from the jeepney that stopped ahead, confirmed this. “I was already flagging the jeep down earlier, but it didn’t stop until it reached the bridge,” she said.
The windshield of the Victory Liner bus that caused the collision was shattered, and its front portion was heavily damaged.
The rear of the Florida Bus it hit also sustained major dents.
“The damage is big. The repairs will be costly,” said Pinto.
According to police investigators, the Victory Liner driver admitted that although he tried to brake, the brakes didn’t work immediately.
“The other bus was moving a bit fast. The driver admitted that the brakes didn’t catch right away, which is why he hit the vehicle in front of him,” said PCpt. Francis Pawe of the Tuba Municipal Police Station.
The impact was so strong that it pushed the Florida Bus forward by nearly 10 meters.
That bus was being driven by a 59-year-old resident of Cagayan.
Six passengers from the Victory Liner bus sustained injuries, most of which were facial wounds, and were immediately brought to the hospital.
As of midday, the two buses remained at the accident site as authorities worked to determine how to proceed with insurance and repair arrangements.
