At least 11 riders, cyclists hurt as truck topples, spills syrup on Manila road

A tanker truck toppled to its side early Tuesday morning along Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard in Manila City, causing its cargo of syrup to spill and left several motorists hurt due to the slippery road.

According to the report of Super Radyo dzBB's Manny Vargas on "Balitangali", the truck helper said the driver lost control of the vehicle while descending North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Connector due to its heavy cargo. The driver decided to tilt the truck at a section of Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard so he could bring it to a stop.

“Noong pababa na nang pababa, nararamdaman na naming dalawa ng driver ko na yung karga namin tataob na po sa kaliwa…Pumepreno na po yung driver ko, pero tuloy-tuloy pa rin yung truck. Hanggang sa nawala na po ng control, naikabig niya na po sa kanan yung manibela, hanggang sa natumba na po.” said Jorex Concepcion, the truck helper.  

(As we were heading further down, my driver and I could already feel that our load was about to tip over to the left… My driver was already hitting the brakes, but the truck just kept going. Eventually, he lost control, he swerved the steering wheel to the right until we finally overturned.) 

Motorists were stuck in a sticky situation because of the syrup that covered the road. This caused several motorcycle riders to slip, fall, and get hurt.

In Marisol Abdurahman’s report in “24 Oras”, at least motorcycle and bicycle riders were hurt from the incident. Officials from Barangay 426 estimated that personnel responded to 16 people who were injured. 

The syrup was said to be an ingredient for making candy.

“Yung iba pagkatumba, tayo tapos alis,” said Brgy. 426 Kagawad  Gregorio Barut. 

(Some just stood up and went off like nothing happened.) 

Unfortunately, some of those injured had to be brought to the hospital. For instance, Barut said a woman suffered severe injuries to both her legs. 

To manage vehicular flow, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) implemented a stop-and-go scheme while a flushing operation, which took almost six hours, was conducted on the road. 

However, the incident still caused heavy traffic that stretched 3 kilometers, the report added. 

The truck helper also said the driver told him that he would go to the hospital to have his wounds checked, but eventually he no longer responded to calls. 

The westbound lane of Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard was passable as of posting time.

Meanwhile, the truck had yet to be towed but was not disrupting the traffic in the area. 

The report said it was up to the truck owner to clear the vehicle from the road. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/VDV/RF, GMA Integrated News