By Jet D. Antolin
A SERIOUS collision between a dump truck and an L300 van on the northbound lane of C5 Road in Libis, Quezon City early Wednesday morning left over a dozen people injured.
The impact of the crash was so severe that the L300 van was crushed, making it difficult for responders to extract passengers.
“We had a hard time removing the passengers in the front because the van was crushed by the impact,” said Senior Fire Officer 3 Bill Astudillo, team leader of the Bureau Fire Protection – Quezon City South Special Rescue Force. “The backseat passengers had fractures. I think there were three people there with fractures. We had to be very careful in getting them out of the van to avoid causing more injury,” he added.
All 15 people inside the van were hurt in the incident, according to James Agustin’s report on Unang Balita. The passengers were transported to the hospital, with some suffering from fractures.
The truck driver claimed he collided with the van after attempting to avoid a motorcycle. He stated he was driving at a regular speed. “I avoided a motorcycle. The L300 van came at the same time,” the truck driver explained.
The L300 van was crushed and turned on its side, while the dump truck also overturned, scattering sand on the road. Traffic in the area became congested as two of the four lanes were blocked. A tow truck from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) attempted to remove the van three times but was unsuccessful. Responders also had to shovel the sand back onto the truck before the vehicle could be removed.
