A family who just came from a Christmas Party met their end in a road accident along S. Osmeña St. at about 9:30 p.m (12/13/18).
contributed photo/ Nagiel B. Bañacia
Gifts were supposed to make the Christmas spirit of every family better but for the Sohitados, they were left covered in blood on S. Osmeña Road last Thursday evening, December 13.
The family of three was on their way home after attending a Christmas party but tragedy cut their lives short.
Lendie Sohitado, together with his wife Maria Regina, and their 9-year-old son Redel Valdevino did not make it home to Liloan town in northern Cebu alive when the motorcycle they boarded figured in a vehicular accident with a 40-footer tanker while traversing S. Osmeña Road in Cebu City at around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday.
The tanker was driven by Mariano Rodriguez who is now detained inside the Mabolo Police Station.
Investigators found out that the family had just attended a Christmas party, and was about to travel 23-kilometers to Liloan.
PO3 Venerando Bacalso Jr., investigator on the case, said that Maria Regina died on the spot while Lendie, who drove the motorcycle, and his son Redel Valdevino were brought to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC).
The father, however, was declared dead on arrival while Redel, who was placed under critical condition, succumbed to his injuries and wounds 14 hours later or on Friday dawn.
Data from the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO) showed that since Thursday, seven road accidents were reported in a span of 10 hours, all of which involved motorcycles.
Nagiel Bañacia, head of CCDRRMO, said their team is now on “extra-alert,” and will closely monitor the streets for possible drunk drivers as the holidays draw near.
“We’re now monitoring the streets because we’re expecting a series of Christmas parties in a lot of
areas. And if there are parties, of course, there are drinking sprees,” Bañacia said.
The incident
Bacalso said initial investigations showed that the motorcycle carrying the Sohitados intercepted Rodriguez by a few meters away from the place of the incident.
“The driver claimed that he did not notice that he already encountered an accident since he was driving a fully loaded tanker,” said Bacalso in Cebuano.
Bacalso said traces of blood were found at the right rear wheels of the 40-footer tanker. He also said that based on the blood stains, it could be that the motorcycle was run over at the middle of the truck.
The investigators also noticed that the motorcycle was overloaded. Aside from carrying three passengers, there were several bags, presents, and a sack of rice placed in front of the driver.
In an interview with Cebu Daily News, Rodriguez said he did not notice that the motorcycle had intercepted him.
He said that the vehicles he noticed at that time were only a multicab at his front and a sports utility vehicle (SUV) at his left side.
“Wala ko kita sa motor. Akong pagtoo nasulod guro sila sa tunga sa truck (I did not see the motorcycle. I believed they slid underneath, and in the middle of the truck),” said Rodriguez.
Rodriguez added that he was driving slowly, at 30 kilometers per hour, due to heavy traffic at that time. He also said that in his 20 years as a truck-driver, it was his first time to encounter an accident.
He also asked for forgiveness from the bereaved family of the Sohitados.
“Kun unsa ilahang desisyon ako rang atubangon. Pero wala g’yud to nako toyoa. Aksidente ra g’yud to ang tanan (I am ready to face whatever decision they make. But I didn’t do it on purpose. It was an
accident),” said Rodriguez.
Accident Prone Area
CCDRRMO and the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) both reminded drivers once again to prevent themselves from driving even if they only took a small amount of alcohol.
“Even a tiny bit of alcohol in your system, and you start driving, especially in accident-prone areas, it’s really risky,” said Francisco Ouano, operations chief of CCTO.
S. Osmeña Road, according to Ouano, is identified as an accident-prone area since it is an expressway where vehicles usually do not stop.
“Vehicles on S. Osmeña Road usually have speeds from 30 to 60 kilometers per hour because it’s a highway. That’s why we advise motorists to also take extra precautions,” Ouano said.