Photo courtesy of Paula Schell
A 21-year-old boatman and two teenagers died on Tuesday after the motorcycle they were riding on crashed head on against a Ceres Bus along the national highway in Barangay Pasil, Santander town in southern Cebu.
Jerry Yrat, a boatman in Oslob town, and his two backriders, Scotty Whiskey Pagao, 14, and Kert Oyam, 14, died on the spot due to injuries suffered in the collision at 5:40 p.m. on Tuesday, said PO3 Antonio Belesco of the Santander Police Station in a phone interview.
The victims are all from Barangay Bankugon, Oslob town in southern Cebu.
Anolito Tero, 54, the Ceres Bus driver involved in the collision, were picked up by police officers at the accident site as he never got off the bus for fear of being attacked by the residents in the area, said Belesco.
Belesco said that according to the investigation, Yrat, who was tailing a prime mover truck in his motorcycle, with Pagao and Oyam as backriders, tried to overtake the truck.
But when Yrap made his move, he did not expect the incoming Ceres Bus on the other lane, and slammed into it.
Yrap and his two backriders were thrown off the motorcycle and died on the spot.
Tero of San Remigio town in northern Cebu told police that he only saw the prime mover truck a few meters away, when suddenly the motorcycle appeared in front of the bus, and it was already too late for him to step on the brakes.
Tero was placed under the custody of the Santander Police while waiting for the victim’s relatives next move – whether to file charges against the bus driver or to negotiate for an amicable settlement.