2 students killed, 4 hurt by wayward car in Cebu town

CEBU CITY, Philippines—Two graduating high school students were killed while four others  were badly injured Thursday afternoon when they were hit by a car before it turned turtle on the bridge in Barangay  (village) Poblacion, Boljoon town, about 103 kilometers south of here.

Judy Ann Lomera, 17, a resident of Poblacion, suffered severe head wounds and died on the spot. Christy Marie Estella, 18, died at the hospital in Cebu City in the evening.

Both were fourth year students at the Boljoon National High School and were supposed to graduate this March.

Wounded were Joanne Marie Romero, 16 and 4th year student at the Boljoon National High School; Melissa Mendez, 14; her cousin Kynth Marie Mendez, 14; and Nice Ancheta, 15.  The last three are all sophomore students at the same school.

The driver, Al-Dhinier Sanaani, 26, and a medical representative, was detained  at the police detention cell pending the filing of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and multiple physical injury charges.

Sanaani and Kristine Joyce Batucan, 26, both medical representatives of Menarini Philippines Inc., were heading home to Cebu City after delivering medicines in Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental.

The car was owned by Batucan but Sanaani drove the vehicle because she was not feeling well.

Senior Police Officer 3 Roderick Roma, investigator at the Boljoon Police station, said the car  was running at a speed of between 70 and 80 kph when Sanaani suddenly realized that the vehicle was at the edge of the road and was only about two  meters away from the right railings of the Lusapon Bridge along the national highway.

Roma said Sanaani immediately swerved the vehicle to the left but the car hit the students who were walking home from school about 4 p.m.

The girls were thrown off the bridge and fell about 13 meters below.  The car rammed into the railings and turned turtle.

Sanaani and  Batucan suffered minor injuries.

Lomera, Romero and Estella landed on the boulder at the side of the river. The three other girls fell on the riverbank. Lomera died on the spot.

Most of the five were unconscious when taken to the municipal health center before they were transferred to hospital in Cebu City.

Originally posted: 7:07 pm | Thursday, February 6th, 2014