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| Silvestre Velasco, Jr., |
A newly arrived domestic worker who was one of two Filipinos injured in the fatal bus crash in North Point on Dec. 10 has yet to be interviewed by officers at the Consulate.
Marjorie Salvador, 43, was reportedly discharged from Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan before officers of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration could visit her.
Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre said the contract number for her that is on their data base was no longer working.
Salvador reportedly arrived in Hong Kong only in August this year.
The other Filipino injured in the freak accident, family driver Silvestre Velasco, Jr., was contacted through his listed number, and immediately went to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office on Dec. 12 to seek advice on filing claims.
Velasco, 50. is a family driver who has been working in Hong Kong for years. He visited Labatt dela Torre a day after being discharged from the Eastern Hospital, with his right arm still in bandage.
The two were injured when a bus that had just been parked by its driver on Cheung Hong street rolled down the slope and crossed busy Kings Road, before hitting two vendors’ stalls in an alley on the other side.
Four people were killed on the spot and 11 others, including the two Filipinos and the bus driver, were injured.
During his visit to Polo, Velasco reportedly recounted how he was sideswiped by the runaway bus while he was standing on the pavement on Cheung Hong street.
He had reportedly just bought a packed lunch after dropping off his employer’s child at a nearby school when he saw the bus start to move. Velasco said he tried to move away from the vehicle’s path but he was hit on his right arm.
At the time, Velasco said he was nearly abreast of the driver and saw him try to stop the bus from rolling down the hilly road, but was instead run over.
Blood marks on the street suggest the bus driver was dragged several meters down the road. Reports say he was brought to hospital in serious condition, with wounds to his head and upper body.
Labatt dela Torre advised Velasco about the claims he could pursue as a result of his injury, including employee compensation and financial aid from the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance scheme of the Social Welfare Department.
He could also apply for Legal Aid to pursue a personal injury claim from the insurers of the school bus.
On Tuesday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam pledged help to the families of those who died or were injured in the accident. She also said safety measures to prevent road accidents will be stepped up.
