public safety

Fatal accident closes bridge

Víctor Arosemena/LA PRENSA

tragic:A woman was killed and her daughter injured when a bus crashed into several cars yesterday near the Puente de las Américas.1086352

A 25-year-old woman died and nine other people were injured, including the woman's three-year-old daughter, after a bus spun out-of-control yesterday near the Puente de las Américas.

The victim was identified as Rossemy Jaquelin Quintero de Chávez, who was apparently driving her daughter to day care. Her daughter, Yenibeth Chávez, was seriously injured and was taken to the Hospital del Niño.

The other eight injuries are not believed to be serious, police said.

The accident took place shortly after 7 a.m., when the highway leading to the bridge was packed with rush hour traffic. According to transit police, the driver of a bus on the Ciudad de Futuro route lost control of the vehicle near the Veracruz exit. The bus crashed into a cement divider as well four vehicles, including the car driven by Chávez.

Initial reports from police indicated that the bus driver, James Mosley Berger Orville, 72, was driving at a high rate of speed. There was also a light rain falling at the time of the accident, which made the road slick. The accident generated a huge traffic jam that wasn't cleared up until 10 a.m.

“It is a miracle that I am all right,” said Bernal Calderón, who said the bus dragged his vehicle for about 15 meters. he sustained minor injuries. Later in the day, a bus on the La Chorrera-Panama route caught fire, but all 47 people on board were able to escape unharmed. Transit officials said that both buses are being examined to determine what caused the incidents.