Over 1,000 crashes from January to October in Tarlac – police

MANILA, Philippines – From January to October this year, the province of Tarlac recorded more than 1,000 crash incidents. 

Out of the 1,547 recorded cases with the police, 1,443 involved injuries and 72 involved deaths.

For instance, at least 6 people were killed last October 24, when a truck crashed into a passenger jeepney along Estrada Village in the town of Capas. According to reports, the truck was on its way to Baguio City, carrying meat, when it crashed into a passenger jeepney heading south. The truck then rammed into a municipal arch.

Incidents like this are not new in the province of Tarlac. Just last July, 5 people also died when a bus crashed into a van in Barangay Aguso in Tarlac City. 

Tarlac City holds the record of having the most number of crashes in this Central Luzon province; Capas, where the October 24 incident happened, comes second.

The table below lists the number of road crash cases recorded by the provincial police office per police station:

Data show that the crash incidents averaged 85 per station for this 10-month period. The stations that recorded an above-average number of incidents are in Bamban, Capas, Concepcion, Gerona, Paniqui, Sta Ignacia, Tarlac, and Victoria.

The recent crash in Capas, with 13 victims, is the second incident with the most number of casualties in 2017. The top incident was last July, with 19 victims. 

Three of the jeepney passengers in the October 24 incident in Capaz were declared dead on arrival, while one of the passengers died while undergoing treatment at a local hospital. The helper of the truck also died.

According to the investigator of the case, SPO1 Aladin Aoas, the truck driver suffered serious injuries and eventually died. The jeepney driver survived.

Investigation showed that the truck was overtaking another truck before colliding with the speeding jeepney. The truck driver was suspected of being drunk. 

Aoas explained that the area where the crash happened has been crash-prone because, aside from having limited signages, it is typically not well lit.

Data from the provincial police office also showed that most of the number of crashes happen at night, usually from 7 pm to 9 pm. – Rappler.com