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