Truck's tire snaps off, kills boy

MANILA, Philippines - The rear tire of a speeding cargo truck snapped off and killed a 13-year-old boy selling balut (boiled duck egg) by the curb and damaged a taxi and two motorcycles in Valenzuela City before midnight Wednesday.

Senior Inspector Erwin de Guzman, the city police traffic chief, identified the fatality as Lemuel Odad, a resident of Barangay Paso de Blas.

“The boy was just selling balut on the roadside to earn some pocket money for school when the incident occurred. He (was) a high school student,” De Guzman told The STAR.

Police said that at around 11:45 p.m., Joan Viray, 30, was driving an Isuzu cargo truck (RFJ-116) along Paso de Blas Road when its right rear tire snapped off and hit a passing taxi (TVV-250) and ricocheted towards two parked motorcycles (TC-1761 and NH-9374) before hitting Odad, who fell to the pavement head first.

He died on the spot from head injuries, police said. – Pete Laude