10-wheeler truck runs over woman, baby

A barangay health worker and the 10-month-old granddaughter she carried were killed after they were hit by a wayward 10-wheeler closed aluminum van in barangay Tan-awan, Oslob town, southern Cebu.

Police identified the fatalities as 45-year-old Consolacion Berongan Trapa and Hannah Nicole Berongan.

In a separate accident in Cebu City, a mother was killed while her 16-year-old pregnant daughter was injured after they were hit by a passenger jeepney while walking on C. Padilla Street in barangay Duljo-Fatima.

Guadalupe Yncierto died on the spot. Her daughter, Christian Mae, 16, who is six months pregnant was injured. The girl’s live-in partner, Mark Llogore, 23, was unhurt.

Police said the victims were walking toward Cebu City Medical Center at past midnight yesterday where Christian Mae was supposed to have a medical check-up due to stomach pains.

The jeepney driver, Guillermo Carsona, surrendered to the police. He told police he lost control of the jeepney when the steering wheel malfunctioned.

In the Oslob accident, the victims were in the area as Trapa was supposed to bring their goat back to their house. The accident occurred past 6 p.m. last Tuesday.

The truck with plate number GXR-603 was carrying 400 sacks of feeds. It was driven by Guilberto Tag-at Sido, 30, of Basiao, San Jose, Negros Oriental.

The truck was headed for Bato wharf in Samboan.

Sido told police that he was negotiating a slightly downhill portion of a road in sitio Cangcuay when the truck’s brake malfunctioned.

In his bid to stop the truck, Sido swerved the truck toward a hilly side of the road but hit the victims instead.

Sido claimed he did not notice the woman and her granddaughter because they were partly covered by a road traffic sign and grasses in the area.

Trapa, who carried her granddaughter while dragging a goat, was about three meters from the gutter of the road, said PO2 Rey Angelo Agustin of the Oslob police station.

The van overturned after hitting the victims. It stopped around 20 meters from the area where the victims were hit.

Sido and his truck boy said they were forced to ride a passenger bus for fear of being lynched by a mob. The two men surrendered to the Santander police and were later turned over to the Oslob police.

Police said Sido could be charged for reckless imprudence resulting to double homicide with damage to properties./JHUNNEX NAPALLACAN, GABRIEL BONJOC, CHITO ARAGON AND RHEA ROSELL