MANDAUE CITY, Cebu—A driver and his two passengers were killed while 11 others were hurt early Wednesday morning when the multicab they were riding was hit by a Mitsubishi truck on JP Rizal Street in Barangay (village) Basak in this city.
The fatalities were identified as multicab driver Marvin Guttierrez and passengers Jerson Bastatas, 58 and Diskler Laboris of Barangay Mabolo in Cebu City.
Truck driver Michael Ruelo was detained at the Mandaue police station 3 in Barangay Basak, pending the filing of charges for reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and multiple injuries.
PO1 Jerry Pabadora, Mandaue traffic investigator, said the complaints would be filed at the prosecutor’s office once the results of the liquor test conducted on Ruelo had been released.
Initial investigation by the Mandaue City Police Office-Traffic Management Unit (MCPO-TMU) showed that the Mitsubishi truck was heading to Consolacion town when it suddenly occupied the other lane, hitting a taxi unit before colliding with a multicab, a public utility vehicle loaded with 14 people.
Pabadora said the taxi sustained minor damage in the bumper because the driver, Jessie Tubilan, was able to notice that the truck was heading to his direction.
Tubilan tried to avoid the truck by swerving to the right but the truck managed to bump the taxi’s bumper before ramming into the multicab which was behind the taxi.
Pabadora said Ruelo claimed he shifted lane because he was trying to avoid collision with another vehicle that cut into his lane.
But Tubilan belied Ruelo’s claim, saying the road was empty at that time since it was still 4 a.m.
Laboris died on the spot while Gutierrez and Bastatas succumbed to injuries at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City.
The 11 other passengers of the multicab suffered minor injuries and were brought to different hospitals for treatment.