New Year road accident
TACLOBAN CITY-Two women died while seven others were wounded after the house where they were in during the accident was hit by a wing van on Sunday (Jan.1) afternoon.
Killed were Laica Encomio and her cousin Rhemy Cuizon, both 23 years old while the injured were his parents Nolando Cuizon,50, and his wife Merly, 44 and sister Mercy, 26; Neil John Balatucan, 23 and his one-year old son Lei Xan Thiel; Darwin Barbosa, 26; and Emelyn Claridad, 28.
Balatucan is a brother-in-law of Rhemy while Barbosa and Claridad were the cousins of the former.
All victims were at the house of Rhemy as they were celebrating the New Year’s day when the wing van rammed their house located along Zone 4B, Utap district, this city at about 5 pm, police report said.
All were brought to the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center for medical treatment with both Rhemy and Laica declared as dead on the spot.
The driver of the van, Ryan Bagaybay, and his companion, Judy Corpuz, first escaped from the incident, but were arrested later in Pinabacdao, Samar in a follow up operation.
According to the witnesses, the wing van, which is registered to Daisylyn Dorion with Quezon City as her address, was running fast which resulted for it to fell to the cliff where the house of the victims is situated.
City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, who rushed to the scene of the incident, expressed his grief over the incident.
“It’s so sad that we enter the New Year with a tragedy involving two women who were killed and seven others injured. I offer my condolences to the family,” Romualdez said.
He also asked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to stall railings and put up street light in the area, which is a by-pass road, to avoid similar incident.
The two suspects, now detained at the city police station 2, were charged for reckless imprudence resulting to double homicide, serious physical injuries, and damaged to properties. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
