Police in southern Tien Giang Province have concluded that the driver of the tree-watering truck involved in April’s accident committed no fault in the fatal accident that left seven people dead, including a French couple, and 10 others injured, police said.

>> Wife of Frenchman killed in Vietnam road accident dies in hospital >> Frenchman among 5 killed in Vietnam road accident  

According to the police’s conclusion that was issued Monday, driver Tran Thanh Phong, 35, of Ben Tre Province, was driving a Thao Chau Company bus with 14 passengers, including the French couple, from the province to Ho Chi Minh City on April 16. Before the accident occurred, Phong was driving the bus at 92 kph in the 80-100 kph lane. His bus was only 30-40 meters behind another bus, while the distance required for safety is 100 meters, police said. Therefore, when the other bus switched to the 60-80 kph lane to avoid the tree-watering truck in front of it, Phong failed to do the same and crashed into the truck from behind, causing the deadly accident. At that time, the truck, managed by the HCMC-Trung Luong Expressway Management Center, was traveling at only 10-15 kph. Such a low speed is less than the minimum speed required for vehicles to travel on the expressway, but tree-watering trucks are allowed to travel on expressways, under the Vietnam Road Traffic Law, police said. There is no evidence to prove the watering truck committed a fault in this case, police concluded. Meanwhile, evidence shows that Phong “violated the regulations on operating a means of transport,” but as he already died in the accident, police did not carry out legal proceedings for the case. The HCMC-Trung Luong Expressway Management Center and Thao Chau Bus Company came to an agreement with the families of the dead victims, to whom they paid compensation for their loss. Regarding the two French victims – Loreal Jacques Jean, 64, and his wife Loreal Boussiron Nicole, 60 – police did not invite their families to come to Vietnam to discuss reparations with the center and the company. Instead, police allowed the center and the company to settle an insurance compensation with the foreigners’ families. At an earlier meeting with competent agencies from Tien Giang Province, a representative of the French Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City asked about procedures to take legal action against the truck driver. In reply, the provincial police said that if the Consulate General does not agree to the police’s conclusion, it could take legal action in accordance with the laws of Vietnam.

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