Runaway truck leaves 5 dead in Taytay

Five people—including an 11-year-old boy—were killed and 13 others injured when a dump truck carrying gravel and sand lost its brakes, running through an intersection and ramming several vehicles and concrete barriers before hitting a police outpost in Taytay, Rizal.

The accident occurred on Manila East Road at Tikling Junction, causing heavy traffic in the area for several hours.

Superintendent Art Masungsong, Taytay police chief, said that among those killed were Kevin Ruz, 11, a student at Taytay Elementary School; Noel

Almorado, 17; and Gaylord Makiputan.

The driver of the dump truck, Enrico Enriquez, and his wife, Maricel, who was with him at the time of the accident, also died at a nearby hospital after a rescue team managed to get them out of the badly damaged vehicle.

Eduardo Pineda, the third occupant of the truck, survived when he jumped out of the vehicle before it rammed the police outpost.

Among the injured were three policemen.

“They were eating their lunch [at the police outpost] at that time. They sustained injuries but were released from the hospital after treatment,” Senior Supt. Manuel Prieto, Rizal provincial director, told the Inquirer.

He identified them as Police Officer 1 Christian Cantanero and Police Officers 2 Ron Eli Miranda and Benedict Orpanel.

Based on the police’s initial investigation the truck, owned by Rosemarie Ballesteros, had just come from the Hilltop area and was going down the steeply sloped Cabrera Road when its brakes failed.

It hit Almorado who was crossing the road before it barreled onto the westbound lane of Manila East Road, running over Ruz who was on his way home from school.

The truck also hit a Mitsubishi Montero before it rammed the concrete barriers in the middle of the busy thoroughfare.

It then crossed onto the eastbound lane and ran over Makiputan who was driving a motorcycle before it slammed into a passenger jeepney and then the police outpost situated beside the road.

The police said that most of the injured were jeepney passengers and people standing beside the road. Most of them were taken to Manila East Medical Center where they received treatment.