Bus firm mulls raps vs driver, owner of truck in SCTEX collision

What remains of a flatbed truck carrying acetylene tanks that was rear-ended by Five Star bus on SCTEX. Photo courtesy of PNP Regional Office 3

The management of Five Star bus is planning to file charges against the driver and owner of the truck following a vehicular accident that claimed the lives of three passengers and injured 23 others along Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway in Tarlac on Tuesday.

In an initial traffic accident report, the Five Star bus was traversing the SCTEX in Concepcion, Tarlac when the flatbed truck transporting flammable materials emerged from the emergency bay causing the bus to hit the rear of the truck.

However, the statement issued on Wednesday by Five Star bus company claimed the truck was the one that hit the side of the bus causing a commotion along the expressway.

Five Star spokesperson Deanna Florendo said that the company has already dispatched its personnel to the ground to provide financial and medical assistance to its passengers injured in the accident.

“Members of the Five-Star Management are now attending the medical needs of its passengers after a truck carrying hundreds of exposed acetylene tanks exploded early this morning causing three deaths and scores of our bus passengers injured,” Florendo said.

“We assure families of injured passengers that our field personnel are now at the site and in the hospitals extending medical and financial assistance,” she said.

“We are mulling filing possible charges against the truck owner for this incident,” she added.

Florendo said that the company is already in touch with families of the victims of the incident and is closely coordinating with authorities to investigate the matter.

READ: Bus rams truck on SCTEX; 3 killed, 23 hurt

She said that the bus with body number 1107 going to Dagupan, Pangasinan was traversing SCTEX when a flatbed truck transporting flammable materials appeared “suddenly out of the shoulder of the road.”

Five Star claimed the truck hit the bus on its right side causing damage to its rear mirror.

Florendo said the bus driver, earlier identified by the police as Rolando Untalan, made defensive maneuvers and managed to stop the bus but the truck driver, named as Emmanuel Retardo, lost control of the vehicle.

“The truck skidded and stopped. It was then when hundreds of acetylene tanks fell from the flat-bed and spilt its inflammable contents unto the road,” she said.

“While evacuation procedures were being undertaken by the bus driver, witnesses say they heard a hiss and seconds later, the acetylene tanks exploded one by one. These blasts hit several of our passengers and our bus conductor,” she added.

The police said injured victims were immediately rushed to three nearby hospitals in the area while those who died after being burned beyond recognition were taken by the Scene of the Crime Operatives to Lotus Funeral Homes in Tarlac City for proper identification. /jpv