Taxi hit and run by firetruck...

[OTEP]

I was on duty yesterday when firetrucks along A.H. Lacson St., apparently responding to a fire, hit the right front of a Corolla AE101 taxi who got stuck in the Dapitan crossing when the trucks ran the red light.

SOP for crashes involving emergency (fire/police/rescue) and high value target (e.g. money trucks) vehicles is that they leave some sort of identification (even just throw it out the window) so that whatever matter has to be settled, can be settled at a later time. [Remember how we had to sue Land Bank when their money truck rammed our Sentra and ran off?]

Unfortunately, the firetrucks just ran off leaving the wrecked taxi on the street.

I'm not sure if anyone got the plates. Halo-halong trucks na kasi sila. Volunteer at BFP trucks.

Granting they were on their way to a legitimate emergency, they should also be responsible enough for their actions. Medyo nasira tuloy ang tingin ko sa mga bombero. Mahiya naman sila. Their job is to save life and property...but if they wreck stuff and endanger lives in doing so, bale wala din.

[albert_b]

Malas naman ng taxi ... teka matanong lang po, if mangyari sa akin yon and unfortunately hindi ko nakita ang plate number, paano insurance claim nun?

[Walter]

Isn't it partly the taxi's fault for blocking the way? Vehicles are supposed to keep intersections open. If you ask me, at least it taught some people a lesson about following traffic regulations. What if it was an ambulance with a victim inside and the taxi blocked the intersection. Although, I was not there so it's hard to judge.

[OTEP]

From my point of view, the taxi was not blocking the intersection. The taxi was on the greenlight and had stopped crossing to let the emergency vehicles pass. Unfortunately, its nose still got nudged by the firetruck.

Nevertheless, fault or no-fault, the firetruck should have executed the proper protocol for such situations.

[baker123]

ah yes, tama si sir otep. they should be responsible enough. but let us not judge at once. the firetruck "may be" responsible enough that they knew they did something and after the emergency they went back to check on the taxi, sometimes sa police report na nila nakikita kung sino yung taxi, and would pay or help their due to the taxi (victim).

[Flagg]

Haha, kung BFP yan good luck. Kung may sunog ka, you should have a lot of cash to pay em to hose your fire (kung wala, malas mo). After the fire, they'll accompany you into your place hoping you're retrieving some valuables and if you do, then.... you become a victim of the fire. Tsk tsk. SOP na nga that they slash the hoses of the Volunteer trucks para wala talagang magawa yung property owner.

[Walter]

Oh, I stand corrected then.

[niky]

They should have left their number, but they didn't.

Even if it is the fault of the fire brigade, it's impossible to make claims against vehicles responding to an emergency.

[OTEP]

Even if it is the fault of the fire brigade, it's impossible to make claims against vehicles responding to an emergency.

No, its not impossible. Remember the ambulance that crashed head-on onto a schoolbus? What if the firetruck was on its way to rescue a cat from a tree and in the process rammed another vehicle injuring its occupants? Even when responding to emergencies, there are still risks and benefits to be weighed.

In PGH, ambulance crews can't even use the siren of their ambulances (esp. the IVECO Lightning units) without doctor's orders.

[CaMoTe!!!]

while we all don't know what the circumstances sorrounding the taxi and the firetruck are, chances are, it was unavoidable.... if the fire truck had any other recourse, i'm sure he would have done everything to avoid the cab... no one would want to wreck another vehicle on the road anyway, considering that it would also damage the fire truck which they maintain out of their own pockets...

there are a lot of motorists, both public and private vehicles who ignore the wails of sirens of emergency vehicles... we all know this, maybe you have even seen one, or maybe you are even guilty one time or another (i know i am)...

maybe when they see the emergency vehicle, they think its still far anyway, so it's ok to overtake the vehicle in front of them (or cross) and use the fire/emergency lane in doing so... (which ever lane the emergency vehicle is on is an emergency lane wherein all vehicles should give way)...

we have to understand that a firetruck is no ordinary vehicle considering the momentum that it sustains while moving... so the stopping power is definitely not as good as a car's...

just last night, i saw this happen at the slex where a fire truck was on the passing lane, doing about 100kph, lights and sirens blaring... a cab about 700meters away in front overtook another vehicle (maybe he thought that the fire truck is still far away anyway, and he could make the pass) at 60kph... it would take no genius how fast the fire truck would catch up with the cab who was going slower... put into consideration the weight of the water the fire truck is carrying, you could only imagine what might have happened... fire truck almost hit the cab... i even heard the wheels of the fire truck lock for a moment....

another time, i witnessed 2 firetrucks coming from mabuhay rotonda along espana who were going to cross forbes... again, lights and sirens blaring, mmda stops forbes traffic to let the fire trucks cross... fire truck 1 sees mmda clear traffic, resumes acceleration (maybe doing about 60-70kph at the time) towards morayta/ust.. guess what happens next... truck is about 100meters away from intersection

college kid on a white honda city (maybe late for a class, coming from nagtahan) thinks he can make it accross, turns on his siren (yes, he has a siren), darts accross the intersection... thing is, pedestrians were crossing forbes since the mmda officer already stopped forbes traffic to let the trucks pass... so there he was, blocking the intersection coz of the pedestrians on the pedestrian lane, while the fire trucks get closer and closer to the intersection... honda city stud didn't expect to get stuck in the intersection...

case in point, in both cases, fire truck driver is in a dilemma...

truck on espana :
if he brakes, he may be rearended by the truck behind him who also assumed a clear intersection; if he change lanes or swerves to avoid the city, he might and would hit other vehicles to the side, worse, he would be endangering not only those other vehicles on the road, but most of all, his passengers who should be his utmost concern... he has decide in a split second...

truck on slex :
he's on momentum, remember the weight, if he swerves, not only might he hit the vehicles beside him but risks turning over (add to the fact that it's the two lane section of slex)....
if he brakes too hard, he would skid and might hit other vehicles, and most of all, would endanger those on top of the truck;
if he doesn't brake hard enough, he would hit the cab in a not so hard kind of way... (he's already deccelerating, so maybe a nudge?)...

truck driver has to decide which countermeasure he has to employ in order to minimize if not avoid any mishap...

what i'm trying to say is this : if you hear or see an emergency vehicle, or any vehicle for that matter, which seems to be obviously rushing to some sort of an emergency, do give way at all times... like the ust student driving the city, there are a lot of variables on the road which may go wrong, so just be safe and give way... besides, it won't add more than 5mins to your travel time anyway...

Mahiya naman sila. Their job is to save life and property...but if they wreck stuff and endanger lives in doing so, bale wala din.

As i've mentioned earlier, when the situation turns out to be bad or dangerous either way, the firetruck driver had to choose which course of action or counter measure would entail the least in doing so.... considering the safety of the fighters on the truck topmost...

SOP for crashes involving emergency (fire/police/rescue) and high value target (e.g. money trucks) vehicles is that they leave some sort of identification (even just throw it out the window) so that whatever matter has to be settled, can be settled at a later time. [Remember how we had to sue Land Bank when their money truck rammed our Sentra and ran off?]

Unfortunately, the firetrucks just ran off leaving the wrecked taxi on the street.

imo, no better identification to the trucks than their markings.. all fire trucks are clearly marked on all sides as to their identity or affiliation... most even have big fone numbers posted on the sides... and the SOP for firetrucks involved in accidents while responding to fire calls is simply to radio to their base that they hit a certain vehicle, its general description and location...

and whatever matter to be settled that must be settled at a later time will never be settled if it involves emergency vehicles.. all the driver has to prove is that it was unavoidable considering the circumstances...

as i always tell my friends and family members, if it's a fire truck, do give way... it won't delay you a lot anyway....




O/T : boss otep, peace tayo ha... :D

[OTEP]

Camote (oo naman peace tayo ),

Check the MOA with the PNP regarding leaving identification on the scene. Dun namin nadali yung mga tiga-Land Bank. It covers emergency/high risk transport units. It states (though not in verbatim) than even in an emergency, should a mishap occur, the operators of the emergency/high risk vehicle should acknowledge to the other party that they are aware that such situation has occured either by stopping (unlikely given the nature of operations these vehicles are subjected to), by gesturing clearly, or by leaving identification as to how they can be reached at a later time.

Otherwise, it is hit and run. Ang palusot kasi samin dati, dapat sumunod kami or we take down the numbers written on the side. What if sa sobrang layo ng destination ng unit nila? What if i-deny nila ang incident if we call the number. Court decided in favor of us. We overcharge them. Case closed.

I have nothing against firetrucks or firefighters in general (well except maybe for a certain 'volunteer' firefighter driving around in a red pajero with tinted plates). Siguro dapat intindihin din nila yung other side. Minsan wala na talagang room to maneuver ang ibang motorista thats why they just stop dead in their tracks in hopes that there will be enough room to clear whatever vehicle will be coming through. Not all motorists who get involved in crashes, do so because they played chicken with emergency vehicles.

[boyscout]

Camote (oo naman peace tayo ),

Check the MOA with the PNP regarding leaving identification on the scene. Dun namin nadali yung mga tiga-Land Bank. It covers emergency/high risk transport units. It states (though not in verbatim) than even in an emergency, should a mishap occur, the operators of the emergency/high risk vehicle should acknowledge to the other party that they are aware that such situation has occured either by stopping (unlikely given the nature of operations these vehicles are subjected to), by gesturing clearly, or by leaving identification as to how they can be reached at a later time.

Otherwise, it is hit and run. Ang palusot kasi samin dati, dapat sumunod kami or we take down the numbers written on the side. What if sa sobrang layo ng destination ng unit nila? What if i-deny nila ang incident if we call the number. Court decided in favor of us. We overcharge them. Case closed.

I have nothing against firetrucks or firefighters in general (well except maybe for a certain 'volunteer' firefighter driving around in a red pajero with tinted plates). Siguro dapat intindihin din nila yung other side. Minsan wala na talagang room to maneuver ang ibang motorista thats why they just stop dead in their tracks in hopes that there will be enough room to clear whatever vehicle will be coming through. Not all motorists who get involved in crashes, do so because they played chicken with emergency vehicles.

in my knowledge yung mga bank armored cars shouldn't be using our road like police,ambulances and firetrucks. it is privately owned at walang life-saving factor. i mean pwede naman nila ideliver yan early in the morning or when traffic is light unlike emergency vehicles. they shouldn't be even running traffic lights and should be treated as regular motorists that deliver goods.

[CaMoTe!!!]

right... kainis lalo na yung mga kumakaliwa sa intersections na no left turn naman... antayin nila mag change yung light, all the while, naka hambalang sila sa mga sasakyang nasa likod nila...

[CaMoTe!!!]

buti naman peace tayo... hehehe.... :D

Check the MOA with the PNP regarding leaving identification on the scene. Dun namin nadali yung mga tiga-Land Bank. It covers emergency/high risk transport units. It states (though not in verbatim) than even in an emergency, should a mishap occur, the operators of the emergency/high risk vehicle should acknowledge to the other party that they are aware that such situation has occured either by stopping (unlikely given the nature of operations these vehicles are subjected to), by gesturing clearly, or by leaving identification as to how they can be reached at a later time.

i wonder which parties signed the MOA... i am not aware of any such MOA (memorandum of agreement ba???) regarding this... maybe it's between pnp and the owners of high risk vehicles (armored vans) / banks???

again, imo, the clear markings of the fire truck is enough identification in itself... unlike most armored vans which only has body numbers, sometimes not even a plate number displayed...

also, the officer in charge of the response team, by radio-ing his/her base of an accident, its general details and location, already acknowledged his awareness of such accident...

and oh, if i may add, it is SOP for fire trucks responding to fire calls involved in incidents like this to make sure that in all cases, they should make sure that no one is hurt.. if there are, they would stop and attend to the victims...

most of the hits are cosmetic damage anyway... so they continue on with the fire call...

Ang palusot kasi samin dati, dapat sumunod kami or we take down the numbers written on the side. What if sa sobrang layo ng destination ng unit nila? What if i-deny nila ang incident if we call the number.

i understand and i agree boss... but then again, i still feel that the same incident would be different for a high risk transport unit and a clearly marked emergency vehicle...

I have nothing against firetrucks or firefighters in general (well except maybe for a certain 'volunteer' firefighter driving around in a red pajero with tinted plates).

parang nag change color na yata siya boss... kung tama pagkakatanda ko, parang di na red e... blue na ata... not sure though... and also, his plates are no longer tinted... he's now sporting one of 'em luneta plates... :D

Siguro dapat intindihin din nila yung other side. Minsan wala na talagang room to maneuver ang ibang motorista thats why they just stop dead in their tracks in hopes that there will be enough room to clear whatever vehicle will be coming through. Not all motorists who get involved in crashes, do so because they played chicken with emergency vehicles.

i agree... and if its worth anything, i think it must be noted that all drivers of fire trucks of volunteer fire brigades are car drivers/motorcycle riders themselves, so they understand how it is to be behind the wheel of cars or bikes... i know a few of them who are also tsikoteers, and as much as possible, they would avoid hitting any other vehicle on the road... as i've mentioned earlier, if they hit another vehicle, their truck would also sustain damage, which they themselves would pay for...

but i must tell you that a lot of pub/puj and taxi drivers are really bastos on the road... they would even block you while on your way to a fire call, while they load or unload passengers...

one time, there is this jeep who was even racing a fire engine along quirino...

another time, a taxi was sandwhiched between two fire trucks on the counterflow because he wouldn't let the fire truck behind him pass.... he would go as fast as the lead truck, swerve when the lead swerves... trying to by pass traffic courtesy of the firetrucks...

[fireman111001]

tama lang na binangga nung fire truck yung taxi, abusado rin karamihan mga driver ng puv. narinig na nga nila ang serena, nakitang naka ilaw, makikipag unahan pa sa intersection o di kaya biglang hihinto para kumuha ng pasahero. minsan nga naisip ko sana mga bahay nila ang nasusunog nung mga panahong iyon ng matuto sila ng leksyon.

imho, d kasalanan ng firetruck driver ang aksidente and if they are responding to an emergency and met an accident. at most of the volunteer firetruck drivers are very well educated pagdating sa defensive driving at may mga seminars bago sila makapag hawak ng firetruck.

eto pa isang bad habit ng mga drivers, ke private o puv, yung bumubuntot sa likod ng firetruck para makaiwas din sa traffic. delikado ito pano nalang kung biglang pumreno yung firetruck???

i had an experience once when we're responding to a fire, ang lakas ng tunog ng serena namin at bukas ang blinkers, ayun yung isang fx nakipag unahan pa sa intersection sa may san lazaro/andalucia, sumalpok sya sa truck namin, la naman sya magawa kasi lahat ng sasakyan sa left and right nya nag yield samin.

[mazdamazda]

tama lang na binangga nung fire truck yung taxi, abusado rin karamihan mga driver ng puv. narinig na nga nila ang serena, nakitang naka ilaw, makikipag unahan pa sa intersection o di kaya biglang hihinto para kumuha ng pasahero. minsan nga naisip ko sana mga bahay nila ang nasusunog nung mga panahong iyon ng matuto sila ng leksyon.

tama lang dahil karamihan ay abusado?

pero hindi lahat dba? paano kung late nang nakita nung taxi yung mga firetrucks? hindi ba huminto na nga siya para paraanin yung mga firetrucks?

[CaMoTe!!!]

fireman111001, sang brigada ka???

in fairness dun sa taxi driver, di nga naman natin alam kung ano mga circumstances sorrounding that incident... kilala mo ba brigadang involved??? pm mo naman sakin...

[nicolodeon]

tama lang na binangga nung fire truck yung taxi, abusado rin karamihan mga driver ng puv. narinig na nga nila ang serena, nakitang naka ilaw, makikipag unahan pa sa intersection o di kaya biglang hihinto para kumuha ng pasahero.

hindi lang PUV - maraming private vehicle owners na ganito. marami mi ring PUV at PV drivers na mahilg bumuntot sa ambulance at firetrucks.

[CaMoTe!!!]

yup.. hindi lahat... at gaya ng sinabi ko dun sa nauna ko pang post, di natin alam kung ano ang nangyari talaga kung bakit nabangga....

pero nangyayari talaga na may mga nasasagi/sinasagi na sasakyan ang fire trucks pero malamang sa oo na makulit at matigas ulo sa kalye nung mga yun....

[XTO]

ako naman muntik ng tumbukin ng firetruck sa likod while cruising in EDSA. langya ang lapad ng EDSA ah muntik pa ko pano yung tangang taxi sa kanan ko instead na tumabi siya sa kanan, pa-cut pa siya sa way ko pakaliwa kaya hindi ako makatabi parang nananadya. ayun pag lampas ng fire truck sa kaliwa ko medyo ginitgit pa ko. sana siya yun