Two children killed in road accidents

CEBU, Philippines - Two separate vehicular accidents involving trucks claimed the lives of two children and injured another one in a span of two days.

Grade 2 student John Mark Son, 7, died on the spot while Rithel Tubod, 8, was injured after an Isuzu Elf hit them in Barangay Tabunan, Cebu City Tuesday afternoon.

Alejo Pador, 49, was driving the Isuzu Elf truck (YDV 973) when its axle broke, sending the vehicle back down the road.

In a telephone interview with The FREEMAN, Manuel Tagaan of the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM) records section, said the two children were heading home from school around 4 p.m. when hit by the truck.

"Nagsubida man ning drayber nga nabali ang axle nadagit ang bata (The truck was going uphill when its axle broke and hit the children)," Tagaan said.

Son died on the spot while Tubod, who got pinned under the truck, was rushed to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center for immediate medical treatment.

Pador turned himself over to the police after the accident but was released after an amicable settled amicably.

Meanwhile, in Santander town, three-year-old Denisa Atienza immediately died after a delivery truck hit her in Barangay Talisay 10 a.m. yesterday.

In a telephone interview, PO3 Anthony Aba said Atienza was crossing the road with her grandmother when hit by the truck

Aba said witnesses narrated that the Isuzu Elf truck (MCL 817) driven by Nonilo Catalan tried to overtake a tricycle but struck the victim instead.

"(The girl was) dead on the spot ang bata. Naboak ang ulo, nakatag iyang utok sa karsada (Her skull was broken and the contents littered the road)," Aba said.

He said Atienza's parents were in Cebu City to attend to an important matter and that she was under her grandmother's care when the incident happened.

Catalan turned himself in and is currently detained at the Santander Police Station, pending the filing of criminal charges against him.— (FREEMAN)