Consolacion village chief dies in road mishap

Tayud barangay captain Felipe Lauron, 56, was supposed to be brought to the nearest hospital to get immediate medical attention after complaining of having difficulty in breathing, instead he arrived at the hospital dead.

Lauron died after the ambulance transporting him to Mendero Hospital in Barangay Pitogo, Consolacion fell into a cliff that led straight to a lagoon in Barangay Tayud, Consolacion, north of Cebu around 11 p.m on Tuesday.

Lauron sustained severe head injuries from the impact and was pronounced dead on arrival by attending physicians.

Also injured in the incident were Elizabeth Lauron, 55, wife of Felipe; attending nurse Edgar Ferrer, 23 of Barangay Nangka, Consolacion; crew Junrel Paculanang, 29 of Barangay Yati, Liloan; and Ambulance driver Von Ryan Maraño, 28 of Cabangahan, Consolacion.

The ambulance transporting him is owned by the municipality of Consolacion and is usually used as a service vehicle intended for rescue operations.

According to PO1 Socrates Borenaga of the Consolacion Police Station, Lauron, who suffers from asthma, was having difficulty breathing so he had to be brought to the nearest hospital from the barangay hall.

Maraño said he sped up due to the urgency of the situation. However, the brakes malfunctioned and he was unable to maneuver through a curved portion of the road and fell into a cliff and into the lagoon that was about 5-feet deep.

The victims were immediately rescued by the barangay ambulance that was escorting them.

Maraño escaped after the incident, however, his cousin convinced him to surrender.

He surrendered at 4 a.m. on Wednesday and is now in the custody of the Consolacion Police station.

Ferrer, the attending nurse, is currently confined at Mendero Hospital due to severe head and body injuries while Lauron’s wife, Elizabeth, and Paculanang were already discharged.

PO1 Borenaga said that they are just waiting for Elizabeth to file a case against Maraño.