By CESAR JOLITO III
Two individuals died in separate vehicular accidents in the towns of Valladolid and Murcia in Negros Occidental on Sunday night, May 24.
In Valladolid, a 44-year-old pedestrian identified only by the alias “Makmak” of Sitio San Jose, Barangay 2 in Negros Oriental’s Bais City, died after being struck by a white van along the national highway in Barangay Palaka at 6:40 p.m.
Police said the victim was crossing the road to buy water from a store when he was hit by the van traveling southbound from Bago City toward Valladolid proper.
The vehicle reportedly fled the scene after the incident, but witnesses later spotted it near Guadalupe Church in Barangay Poblacion.
Responding police officers arrested the driver, identified by the alias “Manuel,” 51 years old, of Don Jesus Village in Sipalay City’s Barangay Canturay.
The van, owned by a resident of Bacolod City’s Barangay Estefania, was brought to police custody.
The victim sustained serious injuries and was rushed by Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office personnel to the Valladolid District Hospital, where he was declared dead.
Meanwhile, another fatal accident occurred at 10:20 p.m. along the national highway in Barangay Blumentritt in Murcia.
Initial police investigation showed a motorcycle driven by 45-year-old alias “Rey,” 45, of Purok Sunrise, Barangay Blumentritt, was attempting to enter the highway from Canlaon View Subdivision when it collided with another motorcycle driven by 23-year-old alias “Dan,” a utility worker from Bacolod’s Barangay Mansilingan.
Due to the impact, Rey was thrown toward the opposite lane and was run over by the left rear tire of an approaching cargo truck driven.
Rey sustained severe head injuries and was rushed by responders to the Murcia Health Center, where he was later declared dead.
The driver of the second motorcycle suffered minor injuries, police said.
Authorities placed both the drivers of the second motorcycle and the cargo truck, along with their vehicles, under police custody./CJ, WDJ