A delivery truck carrying groceries fell off a 50-meter cliff in Sitio Calat-an, Brgy. Cartagena, Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, on Thursday, July 10, injuring the driver and his passenger.
The Isuzu Elf panel truck, which had just been purchased in Iloilo, was on its way from Brgy. Canturay to Brgy. Inayawan in the neighboring town of Cauayan when the brakes malfunctioned around 11:15 a.m., Police MSgt. Bobby Biaras, Sipalay traffic investigator, said.
The vehicle was driven by Eliseo Apawan, 63, a resident of Sitio Medalla, Brgy. Canturay.
His passenger, Ronald Garlit, 41, from the same barangay, was accompanying him for the delivery.
The truck, loaded with supplies intended to be sold the next day at a store in Inayawan, sped out of control while descending a slope and smashed through roadside barriers before falling into a ravine.
The metal railings helped slow the vehicle down, minimizing the impact, and both the driver and passenger were wearing seatbelts, police said.
Both men sustained bruises and authorities confirmed that no other vehicles were involved.*