One man died and more than a dozen people, including seven tourists from the United States, were injured, when the Caribe Tours bus they were traveling in went off the road and down into a gully on the Jarabacoa-La Vega highway.<\/p>\n
The fatality was Julio Lugo, the bus driver, who died on the way to the hospital, according to a statement by the La Vega Civil Defense director, Jackeline Polonia.<\/p>\n
Rescue teams took more than three hours to extricate the trapped driver from the vehicle, and he arrived at the medical center in a very serious condition and died while being treated by doctors.<\/p>\n
The injured include two Dominicans and a Haitian woman, according to the official. Polonia said that the injured were taken to different hospitals and that none were in a serious condition. Another 30 passengers were treated and released. The US tourists had been staying at the Hotel Jarabacoa. <\/p>\n
The accident occurred at around 3pm at a hairpin bend in Bayacanes, on the road that links La Vega with Jarabacoa, when the brakes apparently failed on the bus with 54 passengers on board, according to a source.<\/p>\n
The bus, according to witnesses, could not make the curve and went off the road into the shallow gully. <\/p>\n
The injured were taken to the Luis Morillo King Hospital and the Juan Bosch Trauma Hospital as well as private clinics in the city of La Vega. <\/p>\n
The injured were assisted by volunteers, members of Civil Defense, the Red Cross, the Fire Department and other rescue groups. <\/p>\n
La Vega Civil Defense director Ismael Acosta reported that most of the people involved in the accident were from Santo Domingo. <\/p>\n
Traffic accidents are common at the so-called “Curve of the Virgin,” where many people have been killed or injured when their vehicles roll over. However, this accident occurred about 1 km further down the road at the very last sharp bend. <\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.listin.com.do\/la-republica\/2012\/1\/30\/219916\/Un-muerto-y-15-heridos-al-precipitarse-autobus<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One man died and more than a dozen people, including seven tourists from the United States, were injured, when the Caribe Tours bus they were traveling in went off the road and down into a gully on the Jarabacoa-La Vega highway. The fatality was Julio Lugo, the bus driver, who died on the way to … <\/p>\n