Three killed instantly, man seriously injured as truck collide head-on
Three killed instantly, man seriously injured as truck collide head-on
Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Tegal, Central Java
At least three people were killed instantly and another seriously
injured when a trailer truck collided head-on with a box truck on
Saturday in Central Java's northern coast area, which is
notorious for traffic accidents.
The accident occurred at Pangasingan village in Kramat
subdistrict, Tegal regency, while across Java island the deaths
of 54 people, mostly schoolgirls, in a horrific three-vehicle
pileup on Wednesday evening is still fresh in the minds of the
public.
Saturday's collision killed Sumarji, from Pekunden village in
Kediri regency, East Java, the 45-year old driver of the trailer
truck. Irawan, 20, a passenger of the other truck, from Flamboyan
in Kebun Jeruk, West Jakarta, was also killed.
The third killed was the driver of the box truck, who is yet
to be identified, while his co-driver Agus Silitonga, 32, also
from East Java, sustained serious injuries.
Local residents said the crash took place as the box truck
with police number B-9775-ZI was driven at a high speed, west to
Jakarta. A minibus ahead of the box truck suddenly stopped to
pick up passengers.
"The box truck then lost control and its driver tried to take
the right lane. But, at the same time, a trailer truck came from
the opposite direction. A head-on collision was unavoidable,"
eyewitness Daryono said.
The box truck was largely destroyed in the accident and the
front part of the trailer truck seriously damaged.
"Local residents who approached the scene had difficulties in
lifting the bodies out of the vehicles," Daryono said.
He said that the villagers eventually managed to evacuate the
bodies after more than one hour of hard endeavor.
"The dead and the injured victims were taken to the Texin
Hospital in Tegal," said Rojihi, another local villager.
There were no arrests reported, although the unnamed driver of
the minibus -- that stopped suddenly in front the box truck --
could be blamed for contributing to the deadly crash.
Last Wednesday, 54 people -- 49 schoolgirls, two male
students, two teachers and a tour guide -- traveling on a busy
highway in Situbondo regency, East Java -- were killed in a fire
when a trailer truck hit their bus. The bus was also rammed from
behind by a pickup.
The bus was carrying home students of the Yapemda I senior
high school from a field trip on the resort island of Bali.
Police blamed human error for the grisly accident and were
detaining the drivers of both the trailer truck and the bus for
questioning.