11-vehicle smashup triggers traffic on Marcelo Fernan Bridge

Mandaue City traffic personnel are in a quandary on how to clear the 11 vehicles involved in a smashup and the resulting traffic gridlock on the Marcelo Fernan Bridge.

FOR two hours, traffic was almost on a standstill along the Marcelo Fernan Bridge following an 11-vehicle smashup on Monday morning.

No one was hurt, although four children on board the different vehicles involved in the accident were brought to the hospital after they were traumatized by the incident.

The smashup started about 11 a.m. when a 20-footer prime mover loaded with sacks of dried sea weeds lost its brakes while speeding downhill at the Marcelo Fernan Bridge.

The prime mover came from Barangay Mactan in Lapu-Lapu City and was heading toward UN Avenue in Mandaue City.

Since the brakes were not working, the prime mover plowed into a delivery van, five private cars, an oil tanker and three taxi units on its front before it finally stopped.

PO2 Maximo Moniva, investigator of the Mandaue Traffic Division, said Juan Escudero, 46 and driver of the prime mover, was placed under police custody and would be facing appropriate charges at the prosecutor’s office.

The accident stalled traffic for about two hours as the vehicles blocked the lane going to Mandaue, while only one lane was opened for vehicles heading to Lapu-Lapu since one vehicle involved in the accident jammed the lane.

Escudero said there was no problem with the vehicle’s brakes until he reached the Marcelo Fernan Bridge.

“Bisan unsaon nako pagtamak sa brake, wala gyud mogana hangtud nga nabangga nalang gyud ko sa mga sakyanan. (No matter how hard I stepped on the brake, it would not work until the truck hit the vehicles),” he said.

Glenn Antigua, operations chief of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM), said three of the four lanes of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge had to be closed to traffic while the clearing operations went on for two hours.

He said only one lane was opened for vehicles heading to Lapu-Lapu City.

Vehicles going to Mandaue City were directed to pass the First Mandaue-Mactan Bridge.

Antigua reminded motorists to be careful to avoid accidents on the streets.

Mandaue City has an ordinance that limits the speed of trucks to 40 kilometers per hour to avoid vehicular
accidents.

Rey Mimay, 45, felt exasperated being stuck in traffic for two hours due to the collision.

“Panahon na gyud nga duna’y laing bridge diring dapita kay permi nang traffic ang duha ka taytayan, pun-an pa kon duna’y aksidente sa bridge. (It’s about time to have another bridge here because it is always traffic on the two bridges, especially if there is accident on the bridge),” said Mimay.