3 road accidents in Cebu province

CEBU, Philippines - One died while several others were injured in three separate road accidents in Bogo City, Cebu City, and Naga town yesterday.

In the Bogo incident, a 24-year-old woman died when the van she was riding rammed into a tree along the national highway in Barangay Lapaz past 10am yesterday.

The victim, Vilma Villegas, a native of Matag-ob, Leyte was declared dead on arrival at the Severo Verallo Memorial District Hospital. She sustained severe head injury when she was pinned below the dashboard the vehicle.

The van’s driver, Jerry Libres, 38, also sustained minor injuries.

SPO2 Reynaldo Rosaceña of the Bogo Police said the Isuzu van bearing plate number TKS 861 was bound for Cebu City when the incident happened. The vehicle is a property of Charl Ping Square Enterprises

Rosaceña said the vehicle reportedly lost control when its tie-rod got detached from the streering wheel when maneuvering a blind curve in Barangay Lapaz. The van then rammed into a tree by the roadside.

Villegas reportedly ducked down below the dashboard to protect herself, but was instead pinned there.

“Nihupo ang babaye sa atubangan, pagdam-ag sa kahoy na-ipit siya sa ilawom,” he said.

Aside from the major injury on her head, Villegas also sustained wounds and bruises on different parts of her body.

“Ang impact man gud naa niya…grabe kaayo pagkaguba sa atubangan sa sakyanan,” Rosaceña said.

Libres is temporarily detained at the Bogo police stockade.

In Cebu City, three old women were injured when the passenger jeepney they were riding rammed into a speeding ambulance of the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF) in Barangay Carreta early yesterday morning. 

PO2 Wilfredo Caperida of the Traffic Patrol Group said the ambulance was responding to another road accident along MJ Cuenco Avenue when the incident happened.

The PUJ driven by Gerardo Lubon was bound for Cebu City from Mandaue City when it rammed into the ambulance at the corner of General Maxilom and MJ Cuenco Avenue past 6am. The ambulance was driven by Jerry Mercader.

Lubon’s passengers -   Servillana Banzon, 74, of Barangay Yate, Lilo-an; Justina Discartin, 66, of Barangay Masulong, Lapu-lapu City; and Dominga Ejares, 64, of Wireless, Mandaue City - were rushed to the Cebu City Medical Center. Considering the impact of the collision, they were made to undergo an x-ray examination to determination if they suffered any injury to the bones.

Caperida said the PUJ driver reportedly did not notice the speeding ambulance and also reportedly did not hear its siren.

Mercader, however, said he was sure that his blinkers and siren were on because it is the standard operating procedure of ERUF to turn them on before any of their vehicles leave the office to respond to an emergency. He said they were also travelling on the right lane at that time.

Both vehicles incurred undetermined amount of damage on the front portion. Both drivers agreed to shoulder the medical expenses of the three women.

Meanwhile, in Naga town, eight people were injured when a Ceres bus went outside its lane in Barangay Colon and hit an Elf truck carrying sand in the process. The truck, driven by Mandy Espares, lost its balance in the collision and rammed into a fence of a house owned by one Marina Valdez.

The impact threw some of the sand off the truck, which hit Hermelo Supsop Jr. who was on board a motorcycle at that time. Supsop was driving right behind the truck. A Nissan pickup truck driven by one Danny Orevillo, which was also traveling right behind the Elf truck, was also hit by ‘hard objects’ which were thrown off from the Elf.

Five passengers of the bus who were seated behind the driver, Reynaldo Tulilis of Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental, also sustained minor injuries. The passengers were identified as Elizabeth Liederman, 44 and Ricky Liederman, 58, both of Talaban, Negros Oriental; Marilyn Macarene, 55, and Ignacio Macarene of Surigao City, and Engemar Macarene, 33, of Tubigon, Bohol.

The injured were brought to the nearby South General Hospital for treatment. Tulilis is now detained at the police station pending the filing of formal charges against him. (FREEMAN)