1 killed, 3 hurt in separate road mishaps

CEBU, Philippines - A 16-year-old girl died after ran over by a Ceres bus while two others were injured in three separate vehicular accidents in Cebu province last Thursday.

Mary Ann Largo of Inoburan, Naga City was pronounced dead a few hours after she was ran over by a Ceres bus past 5 a.m. last Thursday along the highway of East Poblacion, Naga City.

PO2 Miguel Castañares, duty desk officer of Naga Police Station, said the victim was riding pillion on a Honda motorcycle driven by an unidentified man when they accidentally hit a tricycle.

Castañares said that due to the impact of the collision, the girl was thrown into the road and was accidentally ran over by the Ceres bus with plate numbers FWH-423 and body number 5305 which was traveling bound for southern Cebu.

The victim was rushed to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center where she was pronounced dead at 8:30 a.m.

The driver of the motorcycle she was riding and the driver of the tricycle survived unscathed, Castañares said.

Meanwhile, a 13-year-old girl and the driver of the motorcycle that hit her both sustained severe injuries in the body during a traffic accident past 7 a.m. in San Isidro, San Francisco town in Camotes Island.

The victim, a Grade 6 pupil of San Isidro Elementary School, was crossing the road when she was hit by a speeding blue XRM motorcycle with plate numbers CI 7203 driven by Jerom Gorgonio, 19.

The victim fell on the pavement and incurred severe injuries due to the accident, which also caused injuries on Gorgonio. Both of them were taken to the Ricardo Maningo Distrcit Hospital where they are under observation.

In another incident, an airbag saved a call center agent from possible severe injuries or worse, death when the car he was driving rammed into an electrical post at South Coastal Road in Barangay San Roque, Talisay City last Thursday morning.

James Brian Hutchinson, a resident of Gentle Peace Subdivision, in Lower Mohon, Talisay City only sustained minor bruises and wounds in his body despite the severe damage that his vehicle incurred.

The victim was driving his Toyota Hilux pick-up with plate numbers YBJ-704 towards home when he allegedly suddenly dozed off and did not notice that one of the wheels of the car got on the gutter and eventually, the car rammed into a post.

The police said that Hutchinson was traveling fast causing major damage to his vehicle but he was saved due to the airbag. He is now recuperating at the Cebu Doctors Hospital.

Airbags, also called Supplementary Restraint Systems (SRS) or Supplemental Inflatable Restraints (SIR) nowadays, are designed to complement the seatbelts in case of a collision.

This device is reportedly a must-have for any car. Almost all car producers implement airbags in most of their car designs to protect drivers and passengers against injuries to the head and/or upper body. — Niña G. Sumacot/WAB   (FREEMAN NEWS)