1 killed in Lumbangan road accident

A CITY Government employee died while another was critically injured when a garbage truck crashed into a residence of a village official in Barangay Lumbangan, 8.8 kilometers east of Zamboanga City.

The accident happened around 7:35 a.m. Thursday near the city’s dump site.

Lumbangan village chief Fredrick Atilano identified the fatality as Rene Mariano, 50, a personnel of the Office of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office.

Wounded was Ruel Balbuena, the truck driver of a garbage truck owned by a poultry firm.

Investigation showed that Mariano hitch-hiked on Balbuena’s truck from the dumpsite going to the highway.

Atilano said that Mariano, who was in the front seat, jumped out of the truck when it encountered mechanical trouble while negotiating a descending and curve road.

The truck ran over Mariano just after he fell on the pavement, killing him on the spot, Atilano said.

Balbuena was injured when the truck he was driving rammed into the house owned by Lumbangan councilman Carmelito Bejerano.

No one among the house occupants was hurt, Atilano added.