15 dead in road crashes in Rizal, Cavite and Bulacan

TWISTED METAL The front part of this truck is reduced to twisted metal after a deadly multivehicle collision along the diversion road in Cardona, Rizal, on Tuesday. Nine people died in the accident. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

Fifteen people were killed while dozens were injured in separate road crashes in the provinces of Cavite, Rizal and Bulacan on Tuesday and Monday, police said.

On Tuesday in Cardona, Rizal, nine people, including 71-year-old truck driver Pablo Ramos of San Mateo town, died in the accident that happened at 6 a.m. along the national road in Barangay Looc.

Around the same time, in Mendez, Cavite, two motorists died and 20 others were injured after a wayward truck plowed through a morning rush of vehicles along the Mendez-Indang Road in Barangay Poblacion 2.

On Monday afternoon in Bulacan, four people died while five others were injured when they were hit by a pickup truck that plowed through several vehicles along the national highway in Bocaue town.Faulty brakes

In a telephone interview on Tuesday, Capt. Jhuner Mojares, Cardona police chief, said the 10-wheel truck was headed for Binangonan town when Ramos lost control of the vehicle.

“[The truck] came from the diversion road and was negotiating the downhill part when it lost its brakes,” Mojares said.

He said the truck hit a passenger jeepney, driven by Fernando Bandril.

“The impact was so strong the jeep spun out of control and caused its passengers to be thrown off,” Mojares said.

The jeepney then crashed into another truck, a 22-wheel trailer loaded with sand and driven by Ronilo Caballes.

Ramos’ truck, meanwhile, hit an electric post before plunging into a 15.24-meter deep ravine and crashed into a residential area.

No one from the neighborhood was hurt.

Police said among the fatalities were John Lester and Jimbert, both surnamed Lambrinto, and Jan Brian Madaya, who were students of ICCT Colleges onboard the jeep.

Also killed were Maximo Julian, 60, who was out for his morning jog, and Elizabeth Rios, 62.

Police had yet to identify the other fatalities.

In Cavite, police arrested Romeo Sevilla, the driver of a delivery truck that rammed 12 other vehicles, among these tricycles and cars.

Cpl. Christian Espiritu, Mendez police investigator, identified the fatalities as Rolando Ligsa and Roger Santos, who were passengers of the vehicles hit by the truck.

Espiritu said they were also looking into faulty brakes as the cause of the accident.—With a report from Carmela Reyes-Estrope