Cebu City traffic cop dies in highway mishap

A day after a traffic enforcer was killed in an altercation with a motorist, a Cebu City based traffic officer died in a vehicular accident along the national highway in Sabang, Sibonga town at 4:30 a.m yesterday.

P02 Iranie Dela Vega, of Bulasa, Argao town, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Carcar District Hospital.

Dela Vega drove a Kia Sportage car owned by his sister back to Argao town after sending off his wife, Charlie, at the Mactan Cebu International Airport.

SP01 Bernard Otida of Sibonga Police Station, said dela Vega failed to make a slight right turn in a curved portion of the national highway and the car directly hit the small Indian trees along the road.

The vehicle then fell into a ravine before it smashed into a Chico tree. The impact totally wrecked the car. Dela Vega was brought to Carcar City District Hospital where he was declared dead due to severe head injuries.

Police said the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel. The victim’ s wife Charlie said her husband was tired since he had worked from 2 p.m to 10 p.m. last Thursday.

She said they left Argao town at 2 a.m for the airport to catch a 6 a.m. flight to Davao.

Charlie said her husband was supposed to drop by Poblacion Sibonga where his parents lived. The accident site was one and a half kilometer from the house.

Dela Vega served in the police for six years and is a member of the Cebu City Traffic Division. He was a colleague of slain traffic enforcer Armando Daligdig. Dela Vega was assigned to patrol the Cebu business park to Talamban area in Cebu City.