A complaint for reckless imprudence resulting to multiple homicide was filed yesterday against the driver of the 10-wheeler truck that crashed into a house and computer shop in barangay Sta. Ana in Barili town, southern Cebu last Saturday.
Two people were instantly killed in the freak vehicular accident. The toll has risen to three after 11-year-old John Michael Selitona succumbed to injuries Sunday night.
The truck’s driver, Adonis Quiñanol,a was brought by the police to the Cebu Provincial Prosecutors’ Office for the inquest proceedings yesterday.
The 37-year-old Quiñanola, who chose not to undergo preliminary investigation, refused to issue any statement.
Selitona, was pronounced dead by doctors at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) late on Sunday. He was almost pronounced dead five times on Sunday, but the boy kept on fighting for his life.
Asst. Provincial Prosecutor Rustom Presas, decided to elevate the charges against Quiñanola before the Regional Trial Court for trial. Bail was recommended at P30,000.
In their affidavit, the parents of 11-year-old Anderson Jason Vergara who died instantly after he was pinned down by the truck, signified their willingness to pursue the case against Quiñanola.
Jardine Reponte said he immediately went to the place where the accident happened to check whether or not his stepson Anderson was hit by the truck.
He said he saw the boy stuck at the truck’s bumper. Reponte said his step son was pulled out from the wreckage and was rushed to the Barili District Hospital where he was was pronounced dead.
On the spot
Anderson’s mother said she was worried on learning that a truck rammed the computer shop where his son usually stayed.
“When I arrived there, I noticed that the computer shop was gone and the 10-wheeler truck was on its side down. My relatives told me that Anderson was stuck at the bumper of the truck. My relatives, together with my husband, helped each other to remove the body of my son,” she said in her affidavit.
The sister of 22-year-old Jennifer Martillan also executed an affidavit against Quiñanola. Martillan was breastfeeding her baby when the 10-wheeler truck crashed into their house in barangay Sta. Ana. Jennifer threw her three-month-old baby John Mark Martillan to the side before she was hit by the truck and died on the spot.
Clearance
At the VSMMC, nurses assigned to John Michael Selitona’s ward said his mother, Maria Martha Selitona, gave doctors a “do not resuscitate” (DNR) clearance.
The 11-year-old Selitona flat-lined for five times during the day and struggled to breathe afterwards. Nurses said his mother already left the medical facility yesterday.
Some of the victims were still confined in VSMMC including John Clark Martillan, who sustained bruises in his legs and facial wounds.
His grandmother Elizabeth Martillan said the baby was nursing a cough and had fever.
John Clark was safely tucked inside his grandmother’s arms in a semi-private room at VSMMC yesterday afternoon.
Assistance
The elder Martillan, a candle vendor, said she prays to Señor Santo Niño, every time the baby’s fever worsens.
A representative of the truck’s owner, JAK Logistics Transport, gave P1,000 to the Martillan family last Saturday which they used to buy medicine and food during their stay in the hospital.
She said the same representative promised to pay for all their medical bills. Officials of barangay Sta. Ana also visited but didn’t give any financial assistance. The families of Selitona, Martillan and 11-year-old Jason Vergara will each receive a P10,000 cash assistance from the Cebu provincial government. /Ador Vincent S. Mayol, Reporter with Correspondent Peter L. Romanillos