A traffic accident that occurred in the early morning hours of this Saturday on the highway in Santiago de Cuba involved a pickup truck and a bus from the National Bus Company that was operating the Cienfuegos–Guantánamo route, according to reports shared on social media by witnesses and local journalists.
According to a post made in the Facebook group "ACCIDENTS BUSES & TRUCKS for more experience and fewer victims!", the user Pedro Domínguez reported that the collision occurred about 5 to 10 kilometers before the San Luis junction, around 4:00 am.
Domínguez clarified that the accident was not the driver's fault in the Yutong.
According to his testimony, the driver of the van - a BAW - fell asleep at the wheel and ended up crashing directly into the bus.
The images shared after the accident show the truck with the front completely destroyed and missing the driver's side door, while the bus ended up off the road, seemingly without any significant visible damage.
Despite the severity of the impact, there have been no reported fatalities so far.
However, although he survived the accident, the driver of the van suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital in Santiago de Cuba, where he remains hospitalized.
According to the information, he has three lesions on his liver, internal bleeding related to those lesions, and a severely damaged knee.
The extent of the damage to the vehicle led several internet users to express their astonishment at the fact that the driver survived. "Looking at the damage, it would be a miracle," commented one user on the post.
Hours after the accident, journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada shared a video recorded from a vehicle that passed through the area on Facebook.
The images show the bus and the truck involved, another Yutong bus, police officers, and several people with bags and packages, presumably passengers from the wrecked bus who were waiting at the scene after the incident.
In the comments section, internet users took the opportunity to raise concerns about the working and resting conditions of interprovincial transport drivers.
A woman from Santiago recounted that she had recently traveled on a bus that left at 4:00 PM and arrived at 9:00 AM the next day, only to return that same afternoon. "Those people can't even rest for four hours because the journey is long and exhausting," she noted.
Another resident of Palma Soriano stated that he passed by the place around 8:15 am and the damaged vehicles and the police were still there.
There were also comments recalling the dangers of the stretch between San Luis and Palma Soriano, especially in the month of December, when accidents historically occur. "God protect and bless that stretch," wrote a user.
A journalist who participated in the debate summarized the general concern by pointing out that the human body collapses without sufficient rest, and that, in many cases, violations of traffic regulations contribute to this, turning these accidents into avoidable tragedies.
The incident brings to light the risks of driver fatigue and the conditions under which road trips are undertaken in the eastern part of the country, especially during the early morning hours and on dates with high traffic.
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