By: Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – Three persons died while six fire fighters were injured after they figured in three separate road accidents here and in two areas in Negros Occidental in the past three days.
In Kabankalan City, a couple died after their motorcycle allegedly collided with a wingvan cargo truck at Barangay Camingawan last December 20.
Police identified the fatalities as Carl Joshua Cardelina, 22, of Hinoba-an town; and his girlfriend Jay Ann Cultura, 25, of Mabinay, Negros Oriental.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Jonel Guadalupe, city police chief, said the accident happened when the motorcycle driven by Cardelina reportedly overlapped the opposite lane and allegedly hit a wingvan cargo truck loaded with softdrinks on its way to Negros Oriental for a delivery.
The truck was driven by Ronie Maguad, 51, of Pontevdra town.
Guadalupe said the couple was on their way home from a school, where Cultura was taking up her Master’s Degree.
The couple sustained serious injuries and were rushed to Kabankalan City District Hospital, where they were declared dead.
Both victims were not wearing helmets when it happened, the city police chief said.
Guadalupe said Maguad was released from police custody last Saturday, after the 18-hour-reglementary detention, following a settlement between the truck owner and the victims’ families.
On the same day, three members of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and three other fire volunteers were injured after their fire truck allegedly hit a 10-wheeler truck parked at the roadside while they were responding to a firecall in Himamaylan City.
Wounded were Fire Officer 2 Ruben Villafranca, 25, of Barangay III; Fire Officer 1 Carlos Colimbo, 25, of Barangay Talubangi, Kabankalan City; Fire Officer 1 Alfie Gravila, 32, of Barangay Mambagaton; and fire volunteers – Lester Aiko, Jipoy Hilado, 27, and Romel Tamayo, 44.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Glen Provido, city police chief, said the wounded firemen were supposed to respond to a sugarcane field reported by the police to have caught fire.
However, they met an accident at Barangay Cabanbanan when Villafranca who was driving the fire truck allegedly hit the rear part of the truck driven by Elmer Infante.
All the firemen were rushed to a hospital but only Gravila is still confined at a hospital here.
Provido said Infante parked the truck to rest as he probably felt sleepy. He, however, said that Infante was not supposed to park the vehicle at the roadside to prevent accidents.
“It was an emergency so the fire truck was speeding when it happened,” he added.
Provido said Infante was released from police custody, pending settlement with the BFP.
The following day, an unidentified woman died after she was hit and was left by an unknown vehicle along Circumferential Road in Barangay Bata here.
The victim sustained injuries and was declared dead at a hospital.
Police have yet to identify the driver behind the said fatal hit-and-run accident.
