Six killed in tollroad collision

Six killed in tollroad collision

Multa Fidrus and Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang/Jakarta

Six people were killed while 34 others were injured when an over-
loaded bus heading for Jakarta hit a container truck on the
Tangerang-Jakarta toll road, 100 meters from the Karang Tengah
toll gate on Tuesday morning.

All those who died were passengers of the Arif Rahman Hakim
(ARH) bus traveling between Tangerang and Senen.

Four victims died instantly and were later taken to the
Tangerang General Hospital's morgue. Two others died on their way
to Graha Medika hospital in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta.

The bus driver Jaspen, who survived the accident, fled the
scene. He was still at large.

The victims in the fatal traffic accident were Subekti, a
resident of Bona Sarana Indah housing complex, Panunggangan
village, Pinang subdistrict, Tangerang; Yeri Tude, 31, a resident
of Kampung Rancamaya, Serpong, Tangerang; Suparno, 50, a resident
of Jl. Petojo Selatan, Central Jakarta; and Suhandi, 34, a
resident of Kampung Sebelah, Pabuaran Sindang village, Serang
regency, Banten. Two of the deceased have not yet been
identified.

The 34 injured victims were taken to several hospitals: 17
were rushed to the Graha Medika hospital, 10 were brought to
Siloam Gleneagles hospital in Karawaci, Tangerang, and seven were
taken to Al-Qadr Hospital in Karawaci.

Ten of the 34 injured victims suffered serious injuries
including Tasjud whose skull was fractured.

Jakarta Police Traffic Division chief Sr. Comr. Sulistyo Ishak
said that fatal accidents on toll roads were on the rise this
year, mostly due to the motorists' negligence in abiding by
traffic regulations.

"This is the fourth fatal accident on the (Tangerang) toll
road this year," he said.

The largest accident, in terms of fatalities, occurred in
Bekasi on April 21, in which 11 people were killed, including a
pregnant woman, and 22 others were severely injured.

According to Tarno, an eyewitness who lives near the Karang
Tengah toll gate, the accident took place at 5:50 a.m.

"The bus was speeding and when it passed the toll gate, a
container truck also passed the gate on its left. The bus hit the
right side of the truck but managed to pass it," he said.

"But after passing the truck, the bus driver hit another truck
parked on the roadside. The driver was not in control of the
vehicle and both the bus and the truck went into a ditch."

One of the survivors Achmad Nawawi said that the driver had
been speeding since the bus left Tangerang toll gate but none of
the passengers had cautioned him to slow down.

Chief of Tangerang Police Traffic Division, Adj. Comr. Titik
Setianingsih said that police were still hunting Jaspen, a
resident of Uwung Jaya in Jati Uwung subdistrict, Tangerang
municipality.

"We thought that the driver was among the dead, but then we
found he was not on the list of those who had died. We are
tracking him down," she said.

Titik added that the incident might also be related to the bus
roadworthiness as its certificate had expired last year.

Police were also questioning the driver of the parked truck
and his assistant as witnesses in the accident.

"I had just turned on the ignition when the bus crashed my
truck," the driver said, adding that he had parked on the
roadside to check his vehicles' tires.

The accident caused bumper to bumper traffic for over five
kilometers.

I-box
Fatal traffic accidents on toll roads in Jakarta this year

Date Location Casualties

Feb. 10 Jagorawi toll road, Ciawi five killed

Bogor

Feb. 28 Prof.Sedyatmo toll road one killed

Kapuk Muara, Penjaringan

April 21 Jakarta-Cikampek toll road 11 killed, 22 injured

Km 35

May 23 Tangerang-Jakarta toll road one killed, six injured

Km 19,4

Cikampek-Jakarta toll road one killed, six injured

Km 32, Cikarang

June 1 Jakarta-Cikampek toll road two killed, eight injured

Km 33, Bekasi

June 2 Tangerang-Jakarta toll road seven killed, 11 injured

Km 34,500, Tangerang

June 23 Jagorawi toll road Km 19B one killed, five injured

Cibubur, Bogor

Tangerang-Merak toll road two killed, one injured

Km 25,30, Tangerang

Source: Media reports