Bartender killed in road accident

A bartender on a motorcycle died in a head-on collision with a passenger jeepney as he was on his way home along Macarthur Highway yesterday morning in Valenzuela City.

Inspector Erwin de Guzman, Valenzuela City Traffic Enforcement Unit (VCTEU) chief, identified the victim as Jake Tejana, 26, married, and a resident of Pondohan in Bocaue, Bulacan.

Tejana, who was wearing a regulation head gear at the time of the accident, sustained severe multiple head and body injuries and died while being treated at the Valenzuela General Hospital.

Rufino Nicolas, 43, of Plaridel, Bulacan, who was driving the jeepney plying the Malinta-Malolos route, has been detained on charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and damage to property.

Traffic investigator Senior Police Officer 1 Noel Palomata said the incident occurred at around 5:30 a.m. yesterday in front of a machine shop along Macarthur Highway in Malanday.

Apparently, Tejana was tired and sleepy after hours of work at an unnamed establishment when he boarded his Suzuki motorcycle to go home.

Probers speculated that Tejana could have fallen asleep for a split second, causing his motorcycle to stray into the path of Nicolas’ jeepney, which was coming from the opposite direction.

Tejana slammed into the jeepney’s front fender and thrown several meters away.

Tejana’s young wife, Imelda, became hysterical when she saw her husband’s body at the hospital morgue and could not be interviewed, Palomata said. – Jerry Botial