LTO SUSPENDS BUS DRIVER’S LICENSE AS ACCIDENT KILLS 3

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Tuesday suspended for 90 days the license of the bus driver who lost control of his vehicle, which rammed into several other vehicles, leaving at least three people dead and 17 others injured on Monday night in Quezon City.

LTO chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II said that a show-cause order was also issued against the driver and owner of the Original Transport Service and Multi Purpose Cooperative passenger bus with plate number TXY 610.

“We are already conducting a thorough investigation into the matter and part of this investigation is the summons sent to the driver and registered owner of the passenger bus to appear before the probe team of the LTO,” Mendoza said in a statement.

Citing the initial results of a police investigation, the passenger bus was running southbound on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City around 9:30 p.m. Monday when the driver said it lost its brakes upon reaching the corner of Fairlane Road in Barangay Greater Fairview.

The vehicle eventually hit two motorcycles and a UV Express van, which had stopped at a traffic light. Despite the impact, the bus continued to move forward, hitting four more motorcycles and a taxi.

One of those killed was a motorcycle rider who was ran over by the bus. The two other fatalities were passengers of the UV Express van.

The bus driver, 42-year-old Rolly Pascua, was arrested by the police and would be charged with reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicides, multiple physical injuries and multiple damage to property.

According to Mendoza, the complaints filed by the police were separate from the cases that would be prepared by the LTO based on the results of its investigation.

Both the driver and the owner of the bus were directed to appear before the LTONational Capital Region office on May 9 to explain why they should not be charged and their license revoked.