Truck in crash that killed six in Santa Rosa ‘old and unregistered’

Santa Rosa
The scene of Saturday’s carnage.

The truck involved in a collision that killed six people and injured 15 others in Santa Rosa City was an old and unregistered model.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said today (Monday, December 10) that the Isuzu trailer truck that caused the mayhem on Saturday night was manufactured in year 2000.

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The transportation agency added that records from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) showed that the truck was last registered as a private vehicle in 2016 and was not classified as a ‘common carrier’ or ‘truck for hire’.

“We also wish to clarify that the LTO did not renew anymore the registration of the truck in 2017 and in 2018,” the DOTr said in a statement.

Police report showed that the trailer truck driven by Anthony Bernardo was speeding along the Santa Rosa to Tagaytay Road at 11.30pm when it rammed 16 stationary vehicles before smashing into a bakery and an apartment.

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Six people — including two girls aged two and one-and-a-half — died in the mayhem. The 15 who were injured remain at Santa Rosa Medical City and at Medical City Southern Luzon.

Investigators are working to determine whether Bernardo lost control of the steering wheel or if the smash was caused by faulty brakes.

Police are continuing to hunt for Bernardo, who fled from the scene of the collision.

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The DOTr — alongside the LTO, and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board — is now vowing to push hard for the modernisation of haulage vehicles.

“There is a clear need to modernise trucks for the safety of the public, as well as to reduce the pollution caused by them. Sadly, some groups are opposed to the implementation of the programme, and have taken a truck holiday [strike] in November,” the DOTr stated.

Under the modernisation plans, the government aims to phase out trucks that are more than 15 years old. The proposal has prompted opposition from haulage companies.

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