SANTIAGO DE CUBA. – Around 20 traffic accidents have been reported by various platforms this November in Santiago de Cuba. The accidents have left at least five people dead (four in the last week) and a much longer list of injuries.
Last Saturday the 23rd, Álvaro Loyala and Rubén Luis Núñez Massó, both FAR officers, were hit by the tire of a jeep that came loose, in Songo la Maya, while they were riding a motorcycle towards Guantánamo. The two vehicles fell down a slope and the young people were fatally injured. The driver of the car was also left in critical condition after the crash. The news was initially published in the Facebook group “Bus and truck accidents for more experiences and fewer victims”.
Two days later, on Monday the 25th, journalist Yosmany Mayeta made known the death of Robelis Adames, 45 years old, who was fighting for his life since he suffered a motorcycle accident on November 20 on central Aguilera Street, in Santiago de Cuba, when he collided with the perimeter wall of the Cultural Plaza. There were two more injuries.
On the same day, the reporter reported two more accidents: one occurred at the intersection of Pizarro and Trocha streetsat the time that three engines collided, causing serious injuries to several people, among whom Iván Darián Martínez Reyes, 24 years old, was identified.
The other accident that day occurred on Santo Tomás and San Antonio streets, when a car knocked down an engine. According to sources contacted by Mayeta, the car involved belongs to the Aguas Santiago Aqueduct and Sewer Company, with license plate B143672. It is also presumed that the driver was driving under the influence of alcohol.
The last fatality reported last week It was Guillermo Aguilar Fonseca, 35 years old. This accident occurred on Tuesday, November 26 on the section of the National Highway between San Luis and Palma Soriano. He died the next day.
CubaNet He also confirmed the death of another motorcyclist known as “Titi” at the beginning of the month, in La Maya. According to the testimony of several acquaintances, the victim was teaching a young woman how to drive when they both fell onto the asphalt. The girl was unharmed.
“Titi was the most prudent driver; He was my favorite biker. Due to his age, more or less 60 years old, he did not run, he was always calm and focused. I really don’t understand how that happened,” said María Lay, the victim’s neighbor.
In the month of October alone, Mayeta reported about 16 accidents and two deaths in Santiago de Cuba.
When analyzing the reports and comments of citizens on social networks, it stands out that the increase in accidents is closely linked to several factors, among which the lack of skills of drivers, the consumption of alcoholic beverages and frequent power outages stand out. that affect the operation of traffic lights.
On the other hand, motorcycle races have been reported that further aggravate the situation in the province. On the night of November 11, a family was hit by a motorist who was participating in an illegal race in Trocha. On that occasion a minor received serious injuries.
On November 5 it was news the accident that involved the vehicle that belongs to the provincial governor, Manuel Falcón Hernández. Although it was a minor collision, it turned out that the offending vehicle was that of the leader.
Then, on the 13th, a FAR car, with license plate number F008103, hit a motorcyclewhich he threw to the floor. The incident took place on Trocha Street and, according to the neighbors who helped the victim, the driver of the military car “seemed drunk.”
“What are they going to do to them, if they are the owners of the highway, the owners of Cuba? They can do whatever they want. Where are we going to defend ourselves, if the courts are theirs too? We have to try to be clear and in order, because with these people the culprit is always the civilian,” said Luis Enrique Matos, a motorist from the city center.
