by Rod Hughes

The 43 passengers and driver of a luxury bus narrowly escaped serious injury or death in a freak accident on the InterAmerican Highway south of the capital when a loose spare tire jarred off the bed of a small truck and slammed into the bus. Three passengers and the driver were cut by flying glass and another six received bruises when the bus veered into a roadside retaining wall.

The bus was crossing the infamous Cerro de la Muerte section on its way from San Isidro to the capital when the mishap occurred. The driver of the truck continued merrily on his way and Traffic Police despair of ever finding him. This is not the first such accident. Just last Monday, a repair part fell from a trailer, bounced on the pavement and broke the windshield of a passing truck.

Said Officer Luis Martinez who attended the bus accident, it is not at all unusual for trucks to carry loose spare tires and other unsecured objects in their beds. The bus driver credits his safety belt for saving him from being catapulted from his seat and on to the bus steps. Driver Norman Rivera, 57, says he was also able to retain control of the wheel and avoided veering off to the left where a yawning revine awaited.