LAST Saturday, November 24, was the longest day of my life. My better half, Doy, figured in a near fatal motorcycle accident in the highway within the vicinity of Macahambus Cave. He was riding his motorcycle with a group of friends, and he was the “pacer” (the one who leads and guides the team). They had just begun their course when he was hit by a 10-wheeler truck.
As a wife of a motorcycle-riding man, getting the call for an accident has always been a possible nightmare...one I fervently prayed would never happen! [note: I was never allowed to own a bike by my parents because an older cousin I never met died in a bike accident.] Well, I fell in love with this man who was already a rider before we even met. Unfortunately, the feared nightmare became my reality that fateful day. “Don’t panic, relax. Erfe has been in an accident!” said the voice I never heard before, who called me on my cellphone.
In theory, not panic is the logical and admirable thing to do. But when it’s your partner for 20 years that has been tossed and mangled like a rag doll, uhm, relaxing is not humanly possible. My husband is my rock. He is the one who keeps me calm when things go wrong. I had to wear my big girl pants and drive to the ER. Why God? There are some things that will remain a mystery. I humbly ask, Lord, what are you teaching me/ us now?
On my way there, I saw an ambulance rushing at full speed. I already had a feeling it was him in there and I was right. “Please don’t leave me,” were the words he said to me when we saw each other. The fact that he was talking and lucid were good signs. I replied: “I should be the one saying that! Madaya ka. You wrestled with a dump truck and you lost!”
As we all know, road widening has been happening all over our major highways. And being a developing country, our DPWH is often remiss in placing warning signs ahead of these road works replete with hazards like stockpile, falling objects, and debris. The scene of the accident was not an exception, and to make things worst, the road was twisting and winding. There were limestones/gravel on the highway and no one was manning the flow of traffic (normally a “lollipop” man directs “stop” or “go” to avoid collisions).
My husband, being the “pacer”, went to the centerline and gestured to the other riders about the hazards. That’s when the truck appeared out of the tight curve. He tried to avoid collision by going to the shoulder of the opposite lane. It was a calculated decision because he couldn’t go back to his lane due to all the limestones/gravel blocking the road. Unfortunately, even if he was already on the shoulder the truck still swerved and hit him.
If the contractor or even the LGU was not remiss on its duty to keep the highway safe for motorists, then the father of my kids would not be in this difficult situation. My guy is not a maverick daredevil. He has always been a proponent of safety, never leaving without his helmet. In fact, he has attended riding courses overseas and has been the one to nag me to always observe road rules. His friends always say he is the lead because he is one of the best and safest riders in their group.
And I do believe that he is! This freak accident would never have happened if the people in DPWH and contractors working on the highway expansion are responsible enough to secure the roads for all the people that traverse the highways. Sadly, though, we see this irresponsibility happening on our roads not only here in our town, but visible throughout the country.