By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz
MANILA – The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has issued a show cause order (SCO) against the registered owner and driver of a trailer truck involved in a multi-vehicular accident that left three people dead in Marikina City on Wednesday.
In a statement on Thursday, LTO chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II said both the owner and the driver would have to explain their side of the accident as part of the initial phase of the investigation.
“We want to know what happened, and part of it is to determine if there were lapses on the part of the registered owner in terms of truck maintenance and the condition of the driver at the time of the accident,” he said.
The investigation will determine whether the truck was being properly maintained and whether it was overloaded during the incident.
The truck driver, whose license has been temporarily suspended, is currently in police custody while the truck has been placed on alarm.
The truck, loaded with a 40-foot container van, was passing through an inclined part of Fortune Avenue at 10 p.m. Wednesday when it suddenly stopped and started moving backward.
According to a police report, the truck lost its brakes and continued in reverse until the trailer overturned, crushing three vehicles.
The incident triggered a chain collision that involved two more vehicles.
Besides the three fatalities, 10 others were reported injured. (PNA)
