1 dead, 14 hurt as van blows tire, hits barrier

MANILA, Philippines — A man died while 14 people were injured when a van blew a tire and crashed into a metal barrier on the northbound lane of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) at Kilometer 18 near the Lawang Bato exit in Valenzuela City on Tuesday.

Chief Master Sgt. Chandru Nambio of the Valenzuela Police Station’s traffic enforcement unit identified the lone fatality as Rolan Denovo, 31.

Denovo was seated at the back of the Hyundai H100 van when he was thrown out of the vehicle as it rolled over. He died instantly.

The 13 other passengers and the driver were hurt and taken to Valenzuela Medical Center for treatment, said Namibio, the case investigator.

The van driver, Ron Arwin Fernandez, 23, suffered a head injury after he was thrown out of his seat.

“When the rear right tire exploded, the vehicle swerved right and crashed [into] the [steel] separator. The van rolled over and [ended up on] the service road near Ever Memorial Gardens,” Nambio said.

The van was bound for Pampanga province from Balintawak when the accident happened at 8 a.m. The passengers and driver are employees of CW Home Depot.