Wayward Army truck plows through 5 vehicles, 2 houses: 2 killed, 4 injured

The wayward truck is in front of one of the houses it slammed into in a road accident involving 5 other vehicles in Sogod town, northern Cebu at past 1 p.m. today, May 2. | contributed photo via Paul Lauro

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A wayward 6×6 Army Truck plowed through a car, two pickup trucks, two motorcycles and two houses, causing the deaths of two men and injuries to four others at past 1 p.m. today, May 2, in Sitio Canduang, Barangay Damolog in Sogod town in northern Cebu.

Police Staff Sergeant Avito Mansing Jr., Sogod Police Station investigator of the accident, said that those who died were from the last motorcycle that the wayward Army truck hit before it crashed into the two houses.

Mansing also said that those injured included one of the motorcycle drivers and one occupant each from the two houses that it crashed into.

Initial investigation showed that the Army Truck driven by Private First Class (PFC) Gary Betonio Pagalong of the Philippine Army was heading to Cebu City from Borbon town in northern Cebu when the driver lost control of the vehicle negotiating a blind curve and downhill portion of the road.

Mansing said that Pagalong told him that he lost control of the vehicle then and crashed into the back of the Mitsubishi Mirage and then a pickup truck in front of him. 

The Army truck then swerved left hit another incoming pickup truck in the opposite lane then slammed into one of the motorcycles — this one with no backrider — and then it slammed into another motorcycle — with a rider and a backrider — and then swerved further to the side of the road jumping over the gutter and crashing into two houses.

“Ni rombo pa man jud ning truck didto sa usa ka balay sa karsada, naa puy duha ka tawo didto na injured.., duha sad ka balay ang na rombohan sa Army truck,” said Mansing. 

(The Army truck crashed into two houses at the side of the road injuring two persons there.)

“Upat tanan injured. Apil na tong patay ang driver ug backrider sa usa ka motor,” he added.

(Four persons were injured in the accident. Including the two, who died the driver and backrider of the motorcycle.)

“Base sa among interview sa driver sa Army truck, padulhog pa man gud ni sya gikan sa Borbon. Dayon pag-abot daw didto sa area, nawagtangan daw sya ug control sa manibela. Wala na sya ka brake kuno, mao tung nabangga na sya atong nga sakyanan ug katong balay,” said Mansing.

(According to the driver of the Army truck, he came from Borbon and was  negotiating the downhill portion of the road heading to Cebu City and when he reached the area, he lost control of the vehicle. He could not brake that is why he smashed through the vehicles and the houses.)

Mansing said the road was an accident-prone area in Sogod town since it was a ‘blind-curve’.

Sogod is a 4th class municipality 61 kilometers north of Cebu City.

Mansing said that the driver of the Army truck was detained at the Sogod Police Station as they wait for the decision of the affected families and owners of the vehicles on whether to press charges or to settle with the driver.

/dbs

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