Newly-turned over ambulance by PBBM crashes in Northern Samar
TACLOBAN CITY – A Patient Transport Vehicle (PTV) or ambulance of Catarman, Northern Samar crashed in Barangay Getigo, Lope de Vega, Northern Samar on Tuesday, Aug. 19, hours after it was turned over by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in Ormoc City, Leyte.
Reports disclosed that the 41-year-old driver of the local government of Catarman lost control of the vehicle after a carabao crossed the curved part of the road.
In a media interview, Catarman Mayor Dianne Rosales recalled that they were in a convoy with the ambulance when they encountered heavy rains with zero visibility.
She said a carabao suddenly crossed the road, prompting the driver to pull the steering wheel and crashed into a 10-foot-deep ravine.
A passenger sustained minor injuries.
“We are thankful that our driver is safe. Our driver has a good track record and we trust him to drive the PTV but accidents happen,” she said.
She added that the area is accident-prone and dark and foggy.
The local government unit of Catarman is one of the 124 recipients of PTVs in Eastern Visayas.
Catarman is about 340 kilometers and seven to eight hours from Ormoc and most of the way is isolated and has few houses in between or none at all.