The driver of the wedding car accident worked 12 hours straight.
After the estimated 300 km Hue - Da Nang passenger trip, driver Cuong continued to take the wedding procession from Quang Tri to Binh Dinh late that same day.
On the morning of July 31, many people from Tay Phu village, Phong Binh commune, Phong Dien district (Thua Thien Hue province) came to offer condolences to the family of driver Le Ngoc Cuong - the person driving the wedding car that collided head-on with a container truck, killing 13 people in Quang Nam.
Neighbors said that Mr. Cuong lived a gentle life and worked hard to support his family with two small children. Two years ago, he bought a 16-seat car for more than 200 million VND from Mr. Pham Ba Chan, a villager. Previously, Mr. Cuong drove for Mr. Chan and the car had not yet been transferred to the owner.
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The crushed passenger bus at the scene of the accident. Photo:Dac Thanh |
According to Mr. Le Hua, uncle of driver Cuong,Early afternoon of July 29, Mr. Cuong took guests from Hue to Da Nang for a wedding. The distance was approximately 300 km for both ways. Returning to Hue that same day, he continueddrove through Quang Tri province at night to take the wedding guests to Binh Dinh.
"Cuong's house is only about 4 km from Luong Dien village (Quang Tri). The car left Quang Tri at 11 pm and the accident happened at about 2:30 am on July 30," said Mr. Hua.
Mr. Pham Ba Chan informed that at around 3:30 p.m. on July 29, while driving through the Phuoc Tuong Phu Gia tunnel toll station (Phu Loc district), he saw Mr. Cuong taking passengers to Da Nang.
"I called to ask, Cuong said he was taking passengers to Da Nang, returning to Hue in the evening, and then there was another trip at night. Who would have thought the accident would happen?" said Mr. Chan.
Yesterday afternoon, after working with the authorities at the scene, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The determined that the initial cause of the accident was "subjective on the part of the bus driver". According to him, the driver did not work for a company specializing in long-distance transport while the distance from Quang Tri to Binh Dinh was very long (estimated at more than 500 km), and the bus departed at night.
"The driver may not be used to driving on long roads. According to witnesses, the driver of the wedding car may have fallen asleep because the car was swerving before colliding with the container truck. The container truck had slowed down to 51 km/h at that time," said Mr. The. He also said that the Ministry will step up inspections of contract vehicles in the coming time.
At the scene, Minister The asked the authorities whether "the people on the bus were wearing seat belts." A local traffic police representative said they had doubts about this but could not confirm it because "it is under investigation."
Today, July 31, Quang Nam Provincial Police said they are examining the passenger bus involved in the accident and will clarify whether the victims were wearing seat belts or not.
Mr. Nguyen Phi Long, a driver with 5 years of experience transporting passengers on the Hue - Da Nang route, said that for the distance from Phong Dien (Thua Thien Hue) to Da Nang and back, the driver has to drive continuously for 5 hours without taking breaks. With such a work schedule, it is likely that Mr. Cuong did not have time to rest between the two long trips, leading to falling asleep at the wheel.
At around 2:30 a.m. on July 30, a passenger car carrying 17 people traveled on National Highway 1A to Binh Dinh to pick up the bride. When arriving at Dien Minh Commune (Dien Ban Town, Quang Nam), the wedding car suddenly collided head-on with a container truck with a Ho Chi Minh City license plate. The accident killed 13 people, including the groom, and 4 are being treated in Da Nang. The bodies of the victims have been brought back to their hometowns for funeral arrangements..
According to the provisions of the Road Traffic Law, a car driver's working time must not exceed 10 hours in a day and must not drive continuously for more than 4 hours.