He stopped but never really looked

BRIEVA’s pickup after being hit by a train Friday morning in Tondo, Manila. JOAN BONDOC

A motorist narrowly avoided being hit by an oncoming train but was too late to see another one coming from the opposite direction early Friday in Manila.

The collision left Jerome Brieva’s pickup truck a wreck but he emerged unscathed from the 7 a.m. incident on the Philippine National Railway (PNR) tracks near the corner of Jose Abad Santos Avenue and Antipolo Street in Daang Bakal, Tondo.

A report from the Manila Police District said Brieva, a 36-year-old project coordinator of a construction firm and resident of San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City, was heading south on Abad Santos when he stopped just in time to avoid being hit by a train heading west.

It was not immediately known how he got that close to the tracks when there are barriers at the crossing that are lowered when trains are approaching.

After letting the train pass, he drove on to cross the railroad but failed to notice another oncoming train heading east.

The second train hit the vehicle and pushed it for several meters before coming to a stop.

A tire came off and the front and side of the vehicle were crushed, but Brieva, who was alone in the pickup, came out unhurt. Nathaniel R. Melican