Florida bus crash survivor: ‘I smelled something odd… bus suddenly went wayward’

THE WRECKAGE of the Florida Transport bus is left at a farm in Barangay (village) Talubin in Bontoc, Mt. Province. Strewn around it are personal belongings of its passengers, 14 of whom had died and 32 others taken to hospitals in Mt. Province, Baguio City and Metro Manila. RICHARD BALONGLONG

MANILA, Philippines—He promised to go back to Bontoc after his recovery.

Dino Dimar, 25, one of the survivors of the wayward Florida bus that fell into a ravine in Bontoc town, Mt. Province and killed 15 people last Feb. 7 made this vow during an interview with INQUIRER.net at his hospital bedside.

“I will surely go back to Bontoc to thank the people there,” Dimar said.

The residents there, he said, were quick in responding to the crash site to help the injured victims.

Dimar, who sustained a fracture in the collar bone and a swollen left leg, recounted the horror. On Feb. 6, he said he was travelling to Bontoc together with a circle of friends including David Sicam, who was with his wife, Abegail and two children.

Unfortunately, Sicam was among the fatalities.

According to him, he was invited by Sicam to join his family to celebrate his son’s fourth birthday in Kalinga town in the Cordillera region.

“As an artist, David wanted to see the culture of Mt. Province and he wanted to give his son a memorable birthday celebration,” he said.

According to him, they left the bus terminal in Sampaloc, Manila at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6.

“I was seated on the front seat just behind the driver. David, his wife and his two kids were also seated on the front seat on the conductor’s side,” he said.

On Friday morning, they had their last bus stop in a place, which according to him, is an hour away from Kalinga.

“It was 7:00 a.m., the sky was clear and there was no fog,” he said disputing claims of the bus company that the accident was caused by miscalculation due to poor visibility caused by fog.

Sitting just behind the driver, he said he had a clear view of everything.

He remembered the bus was on a slow speed at about 15 kilometers per hour while negotiating downward curves and narrow roads.

“While on our way, I suddenly smelled something odd while the driver was working on what it seems was the emergency air break.  It was like the smell of a burned rubber, which was immediately corrected by his seatmate Bam as the smell of the clutch burning” he recalled.

In just a few seconds, he said the bus was speeding at about 20 kilometers per hour.

“Our bus suddenly went wayward as it make its way through the curves, and the conductor,  who perhaps knew what was going to happen, jumped off the bus,” he said.

He recounted that the driver tried to turn the bus towards the canal to avoid from falling into the ravine but he failed to do so.

“I knew the driver was aware that the bus has lost its ability to brake that’s why he tried to turn the bus away from the ravine but he wasn’t able to do so,” he said.

He recalled that one of the reserve drivers who were seated at the back most part of the bus shouted that the brakes were defective.

People were screaming, others were praying and most of the people were panicking, he said.

He said he saw David shouting, as he hugged and protected his son Amian who was on his lap.  (Agung was held by his mother.  Agung survived the accident with minor bruises and fractures.  Amian survived unscathed.)

He remembered, he told Bam Morillo, one of their companions, who was seated just beside him, to turn on his camera to record what was happening.

Eventually they were hurled into the air as the bus went over the ravine.  The roof of the bus was shorn off before the body of the bus came to a stop on the lower slope of the ravine.

He said he was thrown out of the bus when its roof was detached due to a strong impact.

“I then found myself lying, facing the ground. I suddenly felt pain as I could not move my left leg. I found out that my left shoulder was badly hit, and had sustained a fracture,” he said.

But he said he remained calm and maintained presence of mind during those times.

“I told myself to relax. If I panic, nothing will happen,” he said. He then turned his body so he could end up facing the sky so he can breathe properly.

After he was able to turn his body, he then had a clear view of the crash site.

“I saw two of my friends, Charlie and Paeng, who were at a distance, slowly getting up, so I waved at them to signal that I was okay,” he said.

After that, he immediately reached for his phone and called his brother to tell him what happened.

“I called my brother to inform him about the accident and told him immediately that I am okay and need not to worry,” he said.

He mentioned that he instructed his brother to break the news to their parents for them not to worry and so they would not be shocked when the news of the accident will come out in the media.

He said he also called his friend director Floy Quintos and another friend named Maye Padilla so they could send rescuers immediately to where they were.

After that, he said he received a call from his father.

“I am alive. Don’t worry, I am alive,” he said to his father over the phone.

“When the rescuers arrived, they asked me how I was and then immediately placed me on a stretcher,” he said.

He was rushed to Bontoc General Hospital and was airlifted the following day to the Notre Dame Hospital in Baguio City.

On Monday, Feb. 10, he was airlifted to Manila and was confined at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City.

As of posting time, he is still in the hospital for medical treatment.

Life after the tragedy

“I now have a deeper understanding of the word miracle. I was given a second chance because I knew I still have a purpose to accomplish,” he said.

He said he was thankful for the locals in Bontoc noting that three to ten minutes after the accident, they were already there.

He also mentioned that none of his belongings was lost, and it was enough proof of the honesty of the locals there.

He said the accident would not prevent him from pursuing his passion for culture and the arts.

“I became friends with David because we share the same interest,” he said saying the loss of David was very painful because he was like a brother to him.

He added, “I need to conquer my fear of riding a bus,” saying his next bus ride will be his trip to Bontoc to thank the people who helped them during the accident.

Class suit vs Florida   

Dimar told INQUIRER.net that his family and the other victims would file a formal criminal case against Florida Bus Co.

He said he wanted the bus company to have a complete list of the passengers to “keep track of what happened to them and where they are now so they can help all the survivors and the family of the victims.

“I hope everybody is extended help because it’s painful, very painful. We should be vigilant. We cannot afford another accident that would claim the lives of people,” said Dimar, an employee of Hinge Inquirer Publications, a member of the Inquirer Group of Companies that include INQUIRER.net.
He added that the accident should be a wakeup call for the Land Transportation and Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to investigate not only Florida but all bus companies that may be operating illegally and with bus units that are not road worthy.

Florida after the tragedy

The LTFRB issued a 30-day preventive suspension against all the 228 Florida bus units.

The LTFRB also said the ill-fated bus, with plate number TXT-872, was not authorized to operate.

Its engine and chassis number were different from the ones listed under the plate number’s Certificate of Registration filed at the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

On Feb. 10, Mt. Province police filed reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and multiple physical injuries against the bus company and its driver, Edgar Renon who also survived the crash and has since left the hospital.

Aside from David Sicam, the accident also claimed the life of popular comedian Arvin “Tado” Jimenez.

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