This piece of wood went right inside the wind shield after the vehicle driver Joel Owatan crashed into the house of a 67-year old man. (Bjorn Tabanera)
A 67-year-old man was seriously injured after a car crashed into his house in barangay Pit-os in Cebu City, pinning him against a wall yesterday afternoon.
Nepomuceno Tariman, who was paralyzed, was chatting with his neighbor, Sulpicio Deretcho, in front of his home when a black Kia sedan driven by Joel Owatan crashed into them.
Deretcho was able to escape unharmed but Tariman, who was sitting on a chair, was pushed against the wall by the car. His right leg and shoulder got fractured. Tariman’s daughter said her father would undergo surgery.
The driver, Owatan, and his three companions were reportedly heading home after attending a funeral vigil.
Investigator SPO1 Torferio Lim Jr. said they were not able to identify Owatan’s companions but a witness, Jenny Rose Mangubat, said she saw two girls and an infant. Glenbert Flores, a traffic aide, who was among the first responders, said the driver was with two children.
Neighbors and barangay workers who rushed to the scene which was a few meters from the barangay hall took Owatan and Tariman to the nearby North General Hospital.
SPO1 Torferio Lim Jr. said Owatan, the driver, claimed that the car’s engine stalled and lost its brakes as he was negotiating a downhill curve.
The witness, Mangubat, said she heard a loud crash before Tariman shouted for help.
“Ni-syagit siya ug ‘Tabang!’” said Mangubat, adding that Tariman usually sits on that spot everyday. (With CNU Intern Anie M. Paujana)