1 dead, 3 hurt as crane truck rams into store

Batangas City – A 42-year-old woman was pinned to death while three others were injured when a wayward truck carrying a crane smashed into a sari-sari store here yesterday morning, police said.

Superintendent Manuel Abu, Batangas City police chief, identified the fatality as Delia Ebreo Panganiban, a resident of Barangay Pinamucan, and those injured as Edgardo Banda, Lito Macan and Elmer Areta, all crewmen of the 20-ton rough terrain crane owned by Rey Tech Construction.

The crane’s driver-operator, Ronnie Macatangay, escaped after the incident.

Police said the truck was cruising the national highway in Barangay Pinamucan when Macatangay lost control of the wheel, sending the vehicle ramming into the sari-sari store at around 4:30 a.m.

Panganiban was on her way to the public market and was waiting for a passenger jeepney in front of the sari-sari store owned by Rosenda Arcega Cueto when the accident happened. 

Panganiban died before she could be extricated from the wreck by emergency medical units. – Arnell Ozaeta, Ed Amoroso