BY: CHARLES NIKKO LIMON
A passenger bus toppled over and its front was completely wrecked along the National Highway in Barangay Dilavo, Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte.
This happened after a collision with a pick-up truck at around 1:25 in the afternoon last January 16.
According to the investigation, the pick-up truck was headed toward Bangui while the bus was traveling southbound.
PMaj. Jonevale Maramag, Chief of Police – Pasuquin PNP, narrated, “The bus wasn’t speeding, and due to the curve, they didn’t see each other in time. The pick-up swerved into the opposite lane to avoid a tricycle ahead of it, which caused the collision with the bus.”
After the crash, the bus veered off to the side of the road while the front of the pick-up truck was destroyed.
Due to the severity of the collision, Pasuquin MDRRMO staff had to use a hydraulic cutter to extract the pick-up truck driver, who was declared dead on arrival at a hospital in Laoag City.
According to the PNP, this section of the highway is considered an accident-prone area.
“That part of the road is an accident-prone area, but all the necessary signage is complete, and the road is very wide,” Maramag added.
Thirteen of the 43 passengers on the bus, including the driver and conductor, sustained injuries but were later discharged from the hospital.
Maramag stated, “We did not file charges against the bus driver since it was clear that he wasn’t at fault in the collision.”
The uninjured passengers were promptly transferred to another bus to continue their journey.