Barili station patrol car hits own police officer

CEBU, Philippines - A police officer from Barili police station was injured after the station’s own patrol car accidentally hit her last Thursday morning.

Administration officer and Women’s and Children Protection Desk assistant officer, SPO1 Esteliore Cañete, suffered a fracture in her right leg after it was run over by the station’s patrol jeep.

The incident took place during the blessing ceremony of the police station.

Barili police chief, Insp. Arvi Arbuis, said that their station was scheduled to have a blessing, along with the other police stations in southern Cebu.

As part of the station’s blessing, Arbuis said they also took the chance to have their two vehicles, a patrol jeep and an Innova patrol car, blessed.

PO2 Dan Villardar, the station’s Police Community Relations officer, was reportedly the one on board the patrol jeep. When he started the engine, Villardar apparently did not notice that the jeep was already on its first gear making it move forward and consequently hitting Cañete, who was standing in front of the vehicle.

“Mga one meter ra ang gidagan. Naipit unya nalatayan gyud iyang tiil. (the truck moved within a meter. Her feet was stuck and was run over by the truck),” Arbuis said in a phone interview.

The concern has been settled though by Villardar and Cañete with the former assuring to share for the medical expenses of Cañete.

Cañete was taken to the Barili District Hospital and was later transferred to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City (VSMMC) for an operation. —/ATO (FREEMAN)