Failure to keep safe distance leaves bus driver crashing into truck, killing one

A passenger bus smashed into the back of a tractor-trailer on the Phap Van-Cau Gie Expressway on the morning of September 8, killing the bus attendant at the scene.

The 24-seat bus, bearing license plate 36H-084.XX, was traveling from Ninh Binh toward Hanoi. At about 6:01 a.m., it struck a tractor-trailer at kilometer 199+200. The bus was driven by L.X.T., 50, from Thanh Hoa. The truck was driven by N.Q.T., 36, from Lam Dong.

According to Vietnam’s Traffic Police Department, the tractor-trailer had suffered a blown tire before the crash and was moving slowly in the emergency lane. Journey-monitoring data showed that it was traveling at about 22 kph.

The impact killed H.V.T., 37, from Tho Xuan district in Thanh Hoa province, who worked as the bus attendant. Both vehicles suffered heavy damage, with property losses estimated at about 300 million dong.

Authorities arrived soon after the crash to direct traffic, examine the scene and investigate the cause. Traffic police made a preliminary determination that the bus driver had failed to pay attention and maintain a safe distance, causing the bus to hit the rear of the tractor-trailer.