5 hurt in 5-vehicle smash-up in Tayabas

TAYABAS CITY, Philippines – Five persons were hurt early Thursday in a series of collisions involving five vehicles at a road construction site here that allegedly had no flag man or warning signs.

Quoting a spot report, Senior Superintendent Erickson Velasquez, Quezon police chief, said a Manila-bound cargo truck carrying bananas fell on its left side at around 2 a.m. after its driver failed to notice the ongoing road repair in Barangay (village) Isabang.

Four hours later, as the bananas were being transferred to another truck, a speeding 10-wheeler truck slammed into the loading truck, as well as a car and a motorcycle that were on the road at that moment.

The injured were identified as car driver Jaser Hernandez; motorcycle driver Jenry Estrallado and his back rider, Jonatahan Ambulencia; and cargo truck driver Roberto Bren and helpers Allan Baluyo and Armando Lumampo.

They were rushed to the Quezon Medical Center in Lucena City for treatment.

Velasquez said the driver and helper of the 10-wheeler truck that caused the multiple smash-up were arrested. The driver claimed the brakes of his vehicle malfunctioned, he added.

Residents in the area said the road construction project had no flag man nor warning signs to alert motorists.

“There were already two night accidents in the road project due to the lack of road warning signs,” a resident told newsmen.