Toppled truck crashes into shop in Bekasi; gallons fly as driver faints

Residents recount the moment a tronton truck loaded with mineral water gallons toppled on Jalan Swatantra in Bekasi City, West Java, crushing a warung and a shophouse. The owner of the warung was stunned when the truck hit his shop.

The incident occurred on Thursday morning at around 05:00 local time. Witnesses said they saw the truck begin to tilt and fall onto the business.

‘Seeing the truck tipping. I thought at first it was just trying to squeeze past, then all of a sudden it fell onto my shop. I was shocked,’ said Nanda (19), the warung owner, at the scene on Thursday (5/3/2026).

Before the incident, according to Nanda, the truck attempted to avoid a motorcyclist coming from the opposite direction. The route was congested and narrowed due to roadworks.

‘The driver said a Beat or Vario motorcycle was crowding him a bit. Then the truck swerved to the left, and the wheel slipped into a grate,’ he explained.

Nanda said the truck was carrying around 900 gallons. The crash caused damage, and the load even flew into the shop.

‘The display cabinet broke because of the gallons, which even flew into the shop. Then the shelves toppled and pushed the fridge into the premises,’ he added.

A similar situation was reported by Zainal (50), a lessee of the shop next to Nanda’s. At the time, he was inside the shop and was startled by a loud bang.

‘The incident came from that direction, the truck carrying Aqua. When it got jammed, there was a motorbike, so the truck stopped here. Then the rear wheel slipped into the grate because it was fully loaded,’ he explained.

He said the building also sustained damage, specifically the canopy and the rolling door. Zainal added that the driver survived but appeared shocked, collapsing unconscious several times.

‘The driver is fine, not injured. But he was very shocked, he fainted twice,’ he added.

The vehicle owner reportedly arrived at the scene and said they would be responsible for all community losses. ‘Earlier, the trucking company came here and said they would take full responsibility. It is now in the negotiation stage for compensation,’ he concluded.

After the crash, police and the Department of Transportation attended the scene. Although the incident caused traffic to grind to a halt, the truck was later removed around 10:00 local time with the help of a crane.