Cienfuegos Accident Leaves 54 Injured
HAVANA TIMES — A traffic accident occurred at two in the morning on Saturday in the town of Aguada de Pasajeros, Cienfuegos, leaving 54 injured as a result, seven of them children, Cubadebate reported.
The accident occurred after a private passenger truck flipped over at kilometer 175 of the National Highway, traveling from Havana to Camaguey, with a total of 60 people on board.
According to preliminary investigations, the driver lost control of the vehicle when he fell asleep. Three of the passengers are reportedly in serious condition.
Terribly sad, and yes truck busses are dangerous. But the problem is the overal economy and how to improve transportation and safety. All of the less developed world, trucks and worse are used for transportation. Take a look and you will see people piled up dangerously on train and bus tops, hanging off of every type of vehicle, etc. Go to the rural areas of many Latin and Caribbean countries you you will see the same. The answer is improving the overall income, roads, and transport. In the few years I have gone to Cuba, I have seen an improvement. Some of the newer and safer buses are used for general population. There are newer and better taxis. But there is a long way to go. Even increasing the number or proportion of newer and presumably safer vehicles is risky. You have to improve the roads and traffic systems. Cuba is not unique and the problems are worldwide.
By the way, when I was a child working the bean fields of Eastern Maryland, we rode to work on the rutted dirt roads on the back of a flat bed truck. We would have loved benches and railings, just had to hold on for dear life. Now that is illegal, but then no one cared. In the 50’s to 70’s American roads were dangerous since the cars were big and had poor brakes and usually no safety features. Winter roads were often scenes of deadly crashes. Better cars and safety regulations have saved lives. Hopefully the same can come to Cuba.
Another example of the use of “particular” ie; private, would be to say that Cuba itself is the “Isla particular” of the Castro family. Hence my little ditty:
Viva Fidel
Viva Raul
Viva los Castros
Que controla toda y todos
Griffin:
In Cuba the main means of moving people is by trucks of various types and sizes converted by placing benches along the legth of the vehicle and small steps (ladders) to enable people to enter the vehicle. Thare is usually a person collecting the fares (3 pesos) plus of course a driver. These trucks are labelled “Particular” ie: private. Other peculiar to Cuba forms of transport include the “camels” used in Havana. They are articulated rising at each end and dipping in the centre – hence the name. Capacity including those standing is about 120 people. There are bus services – Astro – using Chinese Yutong buses for those fortunate enough to be able to afford them and finally coaches for the tourists made by Yutong and run by Viazul. The state runs taxis – Cuba Taxi and in addition there are private taxis – taxi particular which charge much less but are not supposed to take tourists. Hope that covers your question. Yes, I have used all of them and the converted trucks are a touch over crowded and would not be allowed in the capitalist world – at any speed!
One can only express deep sympahy to the injured and hope for their complete recovery. There is little protection for the passengers in such trucks as compared with the Transtur coaches provided for tourists.
What exactly is a “private passenger truck”? If it was a bus, it would be called a bus. A truck is for moving cargo, no people. And 60 people in a cargo truck is unsafe at any speed.