Four people were killed and 14 others were injured early Wednesday in Barangay Concepcion I, Marikina City, after a 10-wheel dump truck sideswiped a passenger jeepney and a motorcycle from the opposite direction and also toppled a street post that slowed down traffic in the area for hours.
Dead on the spot was Rogelio Marasigan, who was thrown off his motorbike. The three other fatalities, all from the jeepney, were Juanito Autida, 45; Romualdo Ortiz, and a woman whose identity was not immediately known.
A Fuso dump truck (RHD-837) being driven by Bobong Dumalagan, 33, was moving along JP Rizal Street toward San Mateo town, Rizal province, around 5:30 a.m. when it overtook a van and ended up on the opposite lane, said Frank Pasaul, a traffic marshal who responded to the incident.
Dumalagan found himself on a collision course with a jeepney (PVK-936) being driven by Jay Allapitan, 32, and carrying 15 passengers. On the approach to the corner of JP Rizal and Fairlane Street, the truck hit the jeepney on its left side, causing the latter to fall over.
The truck, which was not loaded with cargo, then hit a concrete post and then Dumalagan’s motorcycle before coming to a stop.
The 14 injured included Dumalagan, Allapitan and the other 12 jeepney passengers. Most of them were brought to Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center for treatment.
P03 Atanacio Asuncion of the Marikina police said Dumalagan, who was held in detention, faced charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, multiple physical injuries and damage to property.