3 die, 15 hurt in Oro road mishap

Friday, January 21, 2011

CAGAYAN DE ORO -- Three people were killed and 15 others were critically injured in a head-on collision between a passenger jeepney and a 10-wheeler truck on a highway in Tablon village here Thursday morning.

Attending physicians at the Puerto Community Hospital in Puerto village declared a male passenger in his 50s dead on arrival. The second fatality, a female passenger, also died at the Capitol University Medical City in Gusa while the third passenger died at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center.

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The identities of the three fatalities were not immediately known.

Two other passengers were still in critical condition at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center as of this posting Thursday evening.

Authorities identified some of the injured passengers as jeepney driver Jessie Paburatan, assistant driver Dario Jurani, George Maturan, Jessie Marie Menuro, Reynaldo Malacay, Reynaldo Malacay, Awal Makatanao, Ismael Ubing and Jennifer Gaid.

Witnesses said the passenger jeep driven by Paburatan was speeding toward downtown Cagayan de Oro City when it collided head-on with the 10-wheeler truck.

Police officer Noel Perpetua identified the truck driver as Roy Montecalbo, reportedly a helper and not the regular driver of the Izusu truck, which is registered under the name of one Noly Clarito of Davao City.

CAGAYAN DE ORO. Jeepney driver Jessie Paburatan is being treated at the Capitol University Medical City in Cagayan de Oro City on Thursday. (Joey P. Nacalaban)

Montecalbo, who escaped after the accident, is now being hunted down by the police, said Perpetua.

One of the injured passengers, Jessie Marie Menuro, blamed the jeepney driver for the accident, saying the collision would not have happened had the driver stepped on the brakes earlier.

Police investigators said the truck was heading east of Tablon when it suddenly turned left toward the road’s third lane, causing it to collide with the passenger jeep.

Jurani, the jeepney driver’s assistant, said he could not almost remember what had happened since he was busy calling for passengers along the highway while the vehicle was in motion. (LSM of Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)