By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – Three persons were dead while five others were injured in separate road collisions in the cities of Sagay and Victorias in Negros Occidental Monday.
In Victorias City, two motorcycle riders were killed after they collided with a Ceres Liner bus that was about to park at the terminal in Barangay 13.
Lieutenant Colonel Eduardo Corpuz, city police chief, identified the fatalities as Earl Sorilla, 21, of Barangay 6; and Richard Christian Casin, 39, of Barangay 7.
Corpuz said the victims were reportedly drunk after coming from an affair when they figured in an accident on their way home.
“Matulin daw ang takbo nila,” he added.
Corpuz said Sorilla was supposed to send Casin home. Both were not wearing helmets, the police chief added.
The two victims suffered head injuries and were declared dead on arrival at a hospital. No injuries were reported on the bus passengers.
Corpuz said the bus driver, who was unharmed, was held at the police station but was released after the 18-hour reglementary detention period.
In Sagay City, a mother of a dentist died, while five others were injured after a sports utility vehicle (SUV) also collided with a Ceres Liner bus at Barangay Poblacion 2.
Chief Master Sergeant Leandro Juarez, chief traffic investigator of Sagay City Police Station, identified the fatality as Asunsita Brion, 77, of Escalante City.
Police identified two of the three wounded victims as Dr. Charlotte Macasling, 42, of Escalante City, and their companion, Jessa Mae Nicos, 19.
Juarez said Macasling was driving the SUV on their way home when she allegedly dozed off, causing her vehicle to overlap on the opposite lane that led to the collision.
Brion was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital, while Macasling, Nicos, and three passengers of the bus sustained minor injuries.
Juarez said the bus driver was released from police custody after the lapse of his 18-hour reglementary detention period.
Meanwhile, Vallacar Transit Inc. (VTI) media officer Jade Seballos said their bus drivers were not at fault in both accidents, and were told to rest for a while considering the trauma that they experienced.
Seballos said that Macasling apologized to their driver after the accident.
Seballos said they already extended medical assistance to the three passengers of the bus, and is willing to extend assistance to the victims of the families in the Victorias accident.
