16 hurt in Quezon zigzag road accident

LUCENA CITY, Philippines —Sixteen persons, 10 of them inmates of the Quezon provincial jail here, were injured in a collision involving a jail van and a private pickup along the old zigzag road in Pagbilao, Quezon on Wednesday afternoon, police said.

Senior Superintendent Ronaldo Genaro Ylagan, Quezon police chief, said a Kia AUV (SFY 909) owned by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and driven by Jail Officer Nel Car Pabeto was descending along a sharp curve in Barangay (village) Silangang Malicboy at 12:30 p.m. when the vehicle lost its brakes and collided with an incoming Toyota DMax pickup (ZGG 868) driven by Abacano Herilla.

Ylagan said Herilla, Pabeto, four other jail guards and 10 inmates suffered injuries and were rushed to two hospitals in Lucena City where all of them have remained confined, as of Wednesday evening.

Ylagan said the BJMP vehicle was traveling back to the Quezon provincial jail in Lucena City and loaded with 16 inmates who attended a court hearing in Gumaca town when the accident happened.

He said all the inmates were accounted for, including the six others who were unscathed.

Ylagan said investigators found out that Pabeto was not carrying his driver’s license. Police said both parties were negotiating for an amicable settlement.