Three women were killed while 36 others, including high school students and elementary pupils, were injured after the overloaded public utility vehicle they were riding on crashed into a tree at Barangay Malatas, Calatrava town, Negros Occidental, on Friday, November 11.
Killed were Rutchell Visitacion, 32, of Barangay Malatas; Elma Baynosa, 72, of Barangay Hilub-ang; and Aranita Agravante, 63, of Barangay Hinab-ongan.
Visitacion’s seven-month-old baby boy sustained injuries and is still under observation. He was referred to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City.
The injured passengers were brought to the Calatrava Municipal Hospital.
Maj. Lumyaen Lidawan, town police chief, said the jeepney driver identified as 53-year-old Jose Jequito Florencondia of Barangay Suba lost control of the vehicle when he reached the descending part of the road as its brakes malfunctioned.
This caused the jeep to swerve, hit two houses and two parked motorcycles, then crashed into the tree.
Visitacion and her baby were at the passenger’s seat beside the driver, while the two senior citizens were seated at the back of the driver. They were trapped inside the vehicle due to the impact of the crash.
It took an hour for the rescuers to retrieve their bodies, police said.
Lidawan said some of the passengers, including the students, were seated on top of vehicle, and were thrown off during the crash. The jeepney only has a capacity of 22 people, he added.
The jeepney driver, who was also injured, will be charged for reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide, multiple injuries, and damage to properties.
He was released from police detention Saturday, November 12, after the lapse of the 18-hour reglementary period.*