A devastating six-vehicle pileup in Marikina City on Wednesday evening has left three people dead and 10 others injured. The chaotic incident occurred when a trailer truck overturned in Barangay Fortune, causing a domino effect that involved two passenger jeepneys, two cars, and one SUV.
According to a report by EJ Gomez on Unang Balita, the Marikina Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) revealed that the accident happened at 10 p.m. when the trailer truck experienced a mishap, colliding and leaning on other vehicles. Marikina DRRMO chief Dave David explained, “Based on initial investigation, the 40-footer truck was going up the steep part of the road, but unfortunately, it seemed like it couldn’t handle it, went in reverse, overturned, and collided with the vehicles behind it, causing damage to them.”
One of the cars was severely crushed due to the impact of its collision with the trailer truck. Rescue teams were able to retrieve two of the victims who died, while the third victim, the driver of the jeep that was hit by the overturned trailer truck, was retrieved more than six hours after the accident. The rescue and retrieval operations were challenging, as the jeepney driver was trapped under the vehicle, according to the search and rescue unit of the Marikina Bureau of Fire Protection.
Several survivors shared their harrowing experiences, including Roger Cadigoy, who recalled, “I saw the container van stop, and when we felt it reversing, we also went backwards. It happened so fast, one after another. The cars in front of me crashed, and glass splashed on me. We spun around, and I closed my eyes, thinking I was going to die.” Another survivor, Ryan Moral, described the impact as strong, saying, “I had to turn the steering wheel to avoid the car that hit us. Luckily, we all survived, but I thought we were really dead.”
The trailer truck driver is currently in custody and facing charges of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and multiple injury with multiple damage to property. The local government unit (LGU) personnel conducted a cleanup operation to make the road passable again.
This tragic incident highlights the importance of road safety and the need for responsible driving. The authorities are investigating the cause of the accident and are working to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.