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DOTr: NLEX Corp. liable for fatal mishap as truck hits Marilao bridge anew

The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Corporation will be held liable for the road mishap on Wednesday which killed a 54-year-old passenger after a truck hit the Marilao Interchange Bridge anew, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said. The incident comes three months after another trailer truck damaged the interchange bridge, severely disrupting traffic along two northbound NLEX lanes. In a Super Radyo dzBB interview on Thursday, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said he would push for the waiving of the toll fees in affected areas on NLEX, should motorists experience heavy traffic due to Wednesday's incident. "Ako ay mago-order ngayon sa TRB ngayong araw na sabihan ang NLEX na liable sila doon sa nangyari na naman kahapon. Kasi nakalusot na naman sa Meycauayan exit… itong truck na masyadong mataas. So ibig sabihin niyan, pinalusot 'yan o nakalusot 'yan ng NLEX," Dizon said, referring to the Toll Regulatory Board. (I will order the TRB today to tell NLEX Corp. that it is liable for what happened yesterday. The truck was too high but it managed to pass through the Meycauayan exit again. So that means that the NLEX let the truck pass or it slipped through the company's watch.) "Ito po ay liable ang NLEX diyan and mabigat po ito. At ako ay susulat ngayon through TRB na unang una, kapag 'yan ay na-disrupt na naman ang mga kababayan natin sa biyahe, kasalanan nila 'yan, ipapalibre ko ulit ang toll diyan," he added. (The NLEX is liable and this is a serious offense. And I will write through the TRB that if such an incident disrupts trips of countrymen again, it is their fault, and therefore I will waive the toll fee there again.) Based on the initial investigation of the Marilao police, the trailer truck passed the Meycauayan exit to go back to Malabon, but it hit the interchange bridge on the northbound lane when it arrived in Marilao. A beam from the bridge fell and hit the vehicle behind the truck, resulting in the death of a passenger of an Asian utility vehicle (AUV) and injuries of others, including a two-year-old kid. According to the truck driver, he had no idea that the truck would strike the bridge because he supposedly passes there almost every day when going from Meycauayan to Malabon. The truck driver is now in the custody of Marilao police and will face complaints of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and serious physical injuries and damage to property. In the incident last March, the truck reportedly exceeded the 4.27-meter limit restriction under the Marilao Interchange Bridge. NLEX Corp. had said that it filed charges of reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property against the drivers and truck owners. — VDV, GMA Integrated News