Accident in Higuey, 2 deaths reported

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PJT

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Jan 8, 2002
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Accident ?????

The most recent information is three tourists are dead and 23 more or less are injured. This should not have come to pass and PJT has the similar thoughts as donP, this is not an accident. It is at the least negligence on the part of the driver, his employer, and the government. They all have responsibility to assure the safety of the passengers through proper driving conduct, adherence to and enforcement of the laws. However, lax attitudes towards following rules of the road and common sense on the part of all of them puts all the public at risk.

Who will be the last to die before there is a change?


Sadly,

PJT
 
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donP

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Dec 14, 2008
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Such news make me angry.

PJT said:
It is at the least negligence on the part of the driver, his employer, and the government.
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They say the warning system at the railroad crossing (lights and sound) did work.








My Dominican crystal ball says, it is the sugar cane's fault, the bus driver will not lose his license (if he has one) and will not go to jail (for long), the bus will be repaired (somehow, someway) and all is good....

donP

Disclaimer:
Yes, I know, bus accidents happen all over the world.
 
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rubio_higuey

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Feb 7, 2007
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Pictures form the site.

Look carefully at the rear par of the bus. It's where it was hit by the train. The driver wanted to outrun the train, unfortunately 3 died because he didn't want to stop and wait 5-10 minutes for the train to pass (we who live in the East know that Central Romana trains are looong and take forever to pass). I guess the driver wanted to get the tourists quickly to their hotel and call it a day.

Also look on the last two pictures. By pure luck a suitcase was found which was already hidden in the depths of the canal that runs under the bridge. It was no accident it got there, it was pretty well hidden deep inside. In the DR, unfortunately, when you are an accident victim you have big chance to be a double victim - one of theft, too.


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KateP

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May 28, 2004
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After seeing all the reports now 12 hours later, it's obvious that the bus driver was at fault here. My condolences go out to the families of the French citizens that were on board and my prayers to those that are hospitalized this morning after such a terrible ordeal last night. I'm sure the French honorary consul based in Punta Cana is on site this morning assisting the injured. If anyone needs to contact him, please send me a pm and I'll send you his cel phone number.
 
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rh8371

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Nov 5, 2008
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donP said:
They say the warning system at the railroad crossing (lights and sound) did work.








My Dominican crystal ball says, it is the sugar cane's fault, the bus driver will not lose his license (if he has one) and will not go to jail (for long), the bus will be repaired (somehow, someway) and all is good....

donP

Disclaimer:
Yes, I know, bus accidents happen all over the world.
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Bus accidents happen all over the world....Yes. But not as frequently as they do in the DR. In my opinion it's always the Bus Drivers fault. It's their responsibility to ensure the safety of the passengers and to ensure they do not put their passengers in harms way. I drive from PAP to SD back to PAP every weekend and I see thousands of buses doing the unthinkable..but not just the private buses but Caribe Tours, Capital, Tierra all the major bus companies driving the buses like it was Formula 1 racing.
Just last week my daugther's school had a field trip and hired a bus to take us (children and parents) on the way back to the school the driver was driving so erradically that I asked him to slow down and maintain a safe distance from others....his reply was that he knows how to drive in which I responded to him he can drive like that with his family but not with mine and asked him to stop so we could get off. The teachers were surprised and even more surprised when I complained to the school's Director....needless to say we will be driving ourselves to all school field trips from now on.

I hope the responsibles are punished and those in power to do something actually do do something to prevent this from happening again.
 
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donP

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Dec 14, 2008
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Forethought

rh8371 said:
Bus accidents happen all over the world....
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True.
But where are they so attentive to the poor victims' luggage and safeguard it so that criminals cannot steal it, huh?

donP
 
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PJT

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Jan 8, 2002
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Don't you think it's time ?

Don't you think it's time the state departments of the major countries that represent their tourists in the Dominican Republic issue a blanket statment denouncing the lack of public safety in the transport industry of the RD. This statement should come with teeth that suggest they will consider issuing travel warnings to its citizens to avoid the country should the RD not take corrective action.


Regards,

PJT
 
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donP

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Dec 14, 2008
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Not Done

PJT said:
(...) the major countries that represent their tourists in the Dominican Republic issue a blanket statment denouncing the lack of public safety in the transport industry of the RD.
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Such is not written in the book of diplomacy...

donP
 
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Chirimoya

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Dec 9, 2002
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It's made the French and international media. A local taxi driver told me that they'd seen a drop in Italian tourism after the horrific crash near Benerito, between La Romana and Higuey, in 2008, when several Italian tourists were killed in an accident that was also the consequence of moronic driving.
 
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laurajane

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May 23, 2005
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Chirimoya said:
It's made the French and international media. A local taxi driver told me that they'd seen a drop in Italian tourism after the horrific crash near Benerito, between La Romana and Higuey, in 2008, when several Italian tourists were killed in an accident that was also the consequence of moronic driving.
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What is worse is that I live in Higuey and this is the first I have heard about it, sadly I am not surprised I remember when the bus crashed near La Romana and many of those first on the scene fleeced the victims for what they could get their hands on. Disgusting behavior!
 
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rubio_higuey

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Feb 7, 2007
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Chirimoya said:
It's made the French and international media. A local taxi driver told me that they'd seen a drop in Italian tourism after the horrific crash near Benerito, between La Romana and Higuey, in 2008, when several Italian tourists were killed in an accident that was also the consequence of moronic driving.
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If I remember correctly it was not erratic driving that was cause of that accident, but. Pure stupidity of a third party unrelated to public transport industry.


A0truck was stopped in the very curve, and it was not seen from any reasonable distance until you entered that curve. I don't know which bus driver (Sichoprola or tourist bus) was the one that entered the curve and found itself tailgating the truck, where the only option was to steer to the left to overpass the truck.

Unfortunately at the same time another bus was coming from the opposite direction and at the end there was no way to avoid collision. The truck driver that was stopped/parked in that curve was at fault.
 
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Chirimoya

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Arguably, stopping in a dangerous spot could also be categorised as moronic driving, but you're correct. The speed at which one or both of the buses were travelling in very rainy conditions was a secondary factor.
 
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PJT

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Jan 8, 2002
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donP said:
Such is not written in the book of diplomacy...

donP
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Beg to differ.

It was sometime during 2005 and 2006 a large group of tourists on Thomas Cook tours from the UK were exposed to E Coli bacteria at some RUI resorts. It caused a big flap and the tour companies were sued. There was a thinly veiled comment by the UK ambassador to the DR, advising country should be vigilant in its oversight of food preparation at the resorts or the UK will issue a travel warning for its tourists to avoid the country. There was an improvement. There should be some poster that has more information on these incidents and the corrective measures taken.

The tragic accident with the coach and locomotive is an happening that should raise the concern of the diplomatic community. For the benefit and safety of the citizens they represent they should speak out to the Dominican govenment to take corrective measures.

Regards,

PJT
 
MikeFisher

MikeFisher

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Feb 28, 2006
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EMY Tours again,
they are quiet well known here on the East as a bunch of Reckless Drivers.
the Driver should go to Jail and the Company sued as responsible for the actions of their cheapy hired experienceless Drivers, otherwise nothinhg will change as usual.
even the Driver's assistant declared to the Police that he told the Driver to stop and not cross in front of the Train, all the usual warning signs been out in the middle of the road, the Bell was ringing, the arriving Train could be seen by everybody, but the Driver decided to make it a Go, a pure assassination of Passengers, in my opinion what he did was a criminal action, not just some mistake in public traffick.
watching the "Professionals" (public bus drivers, transfer bus drivers, cabby drivers) here on the Roads of the east on daily bases let's me often wish I would have a shotgun handy in the Car to "stop that dangerous thingy driving there". I would like to be the Sherriff in charge for the East for just one Month, heck what would they need to build new Prisons.

Mike
 
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Randall Bell

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Feb 17, 2012
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PJT said:
Don't you think it's time the state departments of the major countries that represent their tourists in the Dominican Republic issue a blanket statment denouncing the lack of public safety in the transport industry of the RD. This statement should come with teeth that suggest they will consider issuing travel warnings to its citizens to avoid the country should the RD not take corrective action.


Regards,

PJT
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No.

There are a lot of travel advisories to DR. People still come. If you want a warm safe fisher price tourist experience, go to fort lauderdale, and spend 5x as much. If you want a cheap holiday, you'll have to put up with these kinds of risks... it's sad I know.
 
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PJT

Silver
Jan 8, 2002
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Randall Bell said:
No.

If you want a cheap holiday, you'll have to put up with these kinds of risks... it's sad I know.
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One does not have to put up with these kinds of risks. Cheap does not have to equate with risk taking. Especially, when the government has the available manpower to place AMET agents out on road to stop well maintained vehicles in order to produce fines for expired documentation but will not use the same resources to remove junk vehicles from the road or ticket poor operators. Their priorites are mixed up, the agenda is to collect revenue rather than serve to maintain the public safety. It is about time the government concern itself with protecting the public safety with the implementation of: required safety education programs for transport drivers, speed traps, spot safety checks, heavy fines on drivers and operators for traffic violations, and manditory performance reporting systems installed on all new coaches and heavy vehicles.

PJT for one will be addressing this matter with a government friend, cannot idly stand by and let the carnage continue.


Regards,

PJT
 
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