Mandaluyong road crash injures 4

A motorcycle taxi rider and his passenger were thrown into the path of a car during a three-vehicle collision on Shaw Boulevard late Friday, leaving four people injured and a white sedan smashed against a lamp post, rescuers said.

The crash happened at about 11:30 p.m., and the impact scattered broken glass across the road and sent the motorcycle and its two riders flying, according to a security guard who witnessed the incident.

“It happened very fast, and when I looked again, it seemed like the motorcycle, with the two riders, had flown,” said Joselito Belga, who was in the area during the accident.

Belga said the motorcycle passenger ended up underneath a vehicle after the collision.

“The passenger was underneath the car. The driver of one of the vehicles was trying to move forward. We told him to wait because there was someone underneath,” he said.

Four people were injured in the crash — the drivers of the AUV and sedan, the motorcycle taxi rider and his passenger — rescuers said.

The passenger was believed to have suffered the most serious injuries, including a head wound. The motorcycle rider sustained injuries to his pelvic area and abrasions on his shoulder and right knee, rescuers said.

All four were taken to Mandaluyong City Medical Center for treatment.

Driver fatigue?

“One of the patients we found was a motorcycle driver. He was the one we brought into our ambulance,” said LJ Macasinag, a rescuer from Barangay Wack-Wack Greenhills East.

Macasinag said three other patients were taken to two other ambulances that responded to the scene.

Police said the sedan’s front end was heavily damaged after it hit a lamp post on the center island. Shattered glass and debris were left on the roadway following the crash.

The initial investigation showed that only the drivers were inside the AUV and sedan, while two people were aboard the motorcycle.

Authorities have yet to establish what triggered the collision. Rescuers said speeding or driver fatigue were among the possibilities being considered.

“Maybe the driver was speeding or fell asleep. We cannot say what happened there,” Macasinag said.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority towed the three vehicles at about 2 a.m. Saturday to clear the road.