2 die in Sto. Tomas trike mishap

STO. TOMAS - Two passengers of a tricycle died over the weekend in a three-vehicle smash-up along MacArthur Highway in Barangay Moras Dela Paz, this town.

Sto. Tomas police identified the victims as Manuel Operana of Sampaloc, Apalit town and Noel Operana Serrano, the passenger and driver respectively, of a Euro motorcycle with a sidecar (9863-NA).

The two were on their way to the City of San Fernando when they were bumped by a tailing Kawasaki Barako motorcycle with sidecar (2076-RG).

The victims didn’t reach Manabat Hospital alive.

According to Community Police Assistance Center head Michael Tongol - who led the investigation and took witnesses’ accounts - the mishap that occurred around 3:30 a.m. was allegedly caused by a “reckless” Black Isuzu Big Horn (RBK-287), driven by one Francis Xavier Garcin Santillan of Villa Carmen Subdivision, San Matias, Sto Tomas town.

The vehicle, according to reports, abruptly swerved to the lane occupied by the motorcycles as it was traversing eastward towards San Matias.

The report said the Big Horn accidentally bumped the tricycle of the Operanas, which in turn hit the other tricycle.

Also injured in the accident were Jeffrey Arevalo Lozano, Juan Cabrera, Remedios Operana and Judith Operana, all residents of Apalit, who were taken to the Jose B. Lingad Regional Memorial Hospital.

The vehicles in the smash-up are in the custody of the Sto. Tomas police for proper disposition. (With Ian Ocampo Flora)