HAGL Club driver: 'In just 5 seconds, the car was sandwiched between two trucks'

Unexpectedly rear-ended, 57-year-old Nguyen Tu Sinh had just turned to look in the rearview mirror when his car, carrying three members of the HAGL club, was immediately crushed between two trucks and severely damaged.

On August 13th, Mr. Nguyen Tu Sinh, the driver transporting three members of Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) Football Club – who miraculously survived the traffic accident on National Highway 14 yesterday afternoon – was still receiving treatment at Gia Lai Provincial General Hospital. Doctors determined he suffered a fractured shoulder and ribs. Occasionally, when he turned over, the injuries caused him pain and made him wince. His wife sat beside him, her face filled with worry.

Driver Nguyen Tu Sinh is currently receiving treatment at Gia Lai General Hospital. Photo: Tran Hoa — Driver Nguyen Tu Sinh is currently receiving treatment at Gia Lai General Hospital. Photo: *Tran Hoa*

Having driven for HAGL FC for over 13 years, Mr. Sinh stated that he has never been involved in any accidents, not even minor ones. Yesterday morning, he was assigned to drive from Pleiku City (Gia Lai) to Buon Ma Thuot Airport (Dak Lak) to pick up a three-person HAGL FC team returning from a match in Nghe An .

At noon, after picking up assistant coach Duong Minh Ninh, 48 years old; Portuguese striker Paollo Oliveira, 27 years old; and doctor Dao Trong Tri, 29 years old, all four had lunch in Buon Ma Thuot city before departing for Pleiku city.

Driver Sinh recalled that on the bus, everyone talked a lot about matches, work, family, and plans to help develop the club. He planned to drop Dr. Tri off at the bus stop in An Khe town (Gia Lai province) upon arriving in Pleiku City. Afterward, the bus would continue to take assistant coach Duong Minh Ninh and striker Paollo Madeira Oliveir to their private residences.

The five-seater car carrying members of the HAGL club was crushed between two trucks. Photo: Tran Hoa — The five-seater car carrying members of the HAGL club was crushed between two trucks. Photo: *Tran Hoa*

At approximately 3 PM, as the HAGL club's bus was traveling through Tao Chor village, Ia Hrú commune, Chư Pưh district, it was suddenly rear-ended by a gravel truck driven by 36-year-old Dinh Tien Binh, traveling in the same direction. In a panic, Mr. Sinh lost control of the steering wheel, veering into the left lane where it was then struck by another truck coming from the opposite direction. "The accident happened in just 5 seconds," Mr. Sinh said.

The driver, who has been driving for HAGL FC for over 13 years, said that even now he still doesn't understand why such a serious incident happened. When he saw his car being rear-ended, Mr. Sinh only had time to look in the rearview mirror to see what was happening before his car was crushed and trapped between the two trucks.

Local residents used hydraulic jacks to lift the truck's cab, tied chains to the doors, and used a tractor to pry open the car doors of the HAGL club to rescue the victims. Because the car was stuck between the two trucks, the rescue operation took an hour to complete. The accident resulted in the deaths of three members of the Hoang Anh Gia Lai club at the scene. Mr. Sinh miraculously survived and was transferred to Gia Lai Provincial General Hospital.

The scene of the accident on the afternoon of August 12th. Photo: Tran Hoa — The scene of the accident on the afternoon of August 12th. Photo: *Tran Hoa*

According to the Gia Lai Provincial Traffic Safety Board, rapid tests showed that both truck drivers, Binh and Xon, were not under the influence of drugs and had no alcohol in their system. Both the truck and the passenger car had valid inspection certificates, and the drivers possessed all required licenses. Data from the vehicle tracking device of the truck driven by Binh recorded a speed of 55 km/h just before the collision with the passenger car.

Assistant coach Duong Minh Ninh has over 20 years of experience with HAGL FC. He previously played for HAGL as a striker when the team was in the First Division. Striker Paollo Madeira Oliveir, a Portuguese national, previously played for Hong Linh Ha Tinh FC. After the 2022 season, he decided to join HAGL. Dao Trong Tri is a young doctor who takes care of the team's health.