“Nawalan ako ng preno.” (“My brakes failed.”)
It’s already such a familiar refrain among drivers when it comes to road accidents in the Philippines.
This was the very same reason cited by a truck driver involved in a horrific road accident in Taytay, Rizal, that left one woman dead and injured up to 29 people.
Perhaps there should be a study done on what is causing these brake failures.
At around 11am on Tue, Jun 14, Tomas Baldonade was driving a 10-wheeler truck loaded with construction materials. He claimed that as he was going through Manila East Road in Barangay San Juan in Taytay, he realized that his brakes were not working.
The truck ended up plowing through as many as 21 vehicles, reports Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The vehicle also hit a section of the busy New Taytay Public Market. “The accident site also happened to be near the tricycle terminal,” noted ABS-CBN News.
Victims were rushed to different hospitals in the towns of Taytay and Angono. Some were transported to Metro Manila. Three remain in critical condition.
Baldonade voluntarily surrendered to the police.
The ABS-CBN News report indicated that the driver “denied that he was speeding at the time of the accident” and “insisted that he lost control of the truck after its brakes malfunctioned.”
Baldonade will face charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and multiple physical injuries, police said.
