CALAMBA CITY, Laguna – A Fuso trailer truck fell into a 15-foot ravine along the diversion side road in Sitio Bitin, Barangay Malinao Ilaya in Atimonan, Quezon early Friday morning, injuring its driver and three passengers.
Regional Director Olivia M. Luces of the Calabarzon Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and chair of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC), told Philippine News Agency that the Fuso articulated truck crashed into the deep road side cliff around 6:15 a.m. on Friday.
Luces said the Atimonan Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) composite team and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) personnel responded to the site after a call from village resident Mercy Ambas around 6:39 a.m.
She said the emergency responders spotted four injured victims, who were pinned down inside the tractor head, two of them needing to be extricated.
The Atimonan MDRRMO identified the two passengers as Noel Tulog, 34 of Barangay Libjo, Batangas City and Angel Dela Peña, 43 of Barangay Makiling, Calamba City. They were immediately rushed to the Doña Marta Memorial District Hospital in Atimonan by the Malinao Ilaya Barangay DRRMO personnel.
Luces also reported that the driver and another woman passenger, who were pinned down, were extricated two to three hours later by the rescue teams of the Atimonan MDRRMO Bravo and BFP personnel.
She said truck driver Felix Duran, 41 of Barangay Pansol, Calamba City, who sustained head injury was extricated around 8:15 a.m. and was also brought to Doña Marta Memorial District Hospital.
Another passenger Marilyn Almasan Duran, 47 also of Barangay Pansol, Calamba City, who sustained possible fracture on both lower extremities and head laceration, was extricated around 9:09 a.m. and was also rushed to the same district hospital.
Investigation disclosed that the driver of the trailer truck, loaded with eight rolled steel foil was traversing along the southbound lane of the new diversion road when he lost control of the steering wheel while descending a sharp curve.
The momentum caused the trailer truck to overshoot and breach the road shoulder until it fell into the 15-foot deep cliff.
Luces said the trailer truck , was registered to Roderick S. Comia of Barangay Libjo, Batangas City.
Meanwhile, the OCD-RDRRMC Calabarzon has coordinated with the PDRRMO Quezon, Atimonan MDRRMO, Calabarzon Regional Police Office (PRO4A), DILG 4-A and DOH 4-A as the Atimonan MDRRMO, BFP and police are facilitating the necessary medical treatment and assistance to the victims. (Saul Pa-a/PNA)
