Two men lie injured on the side of the road after a tricycle driver, who was believed to be drunk, sideswiped them on Oct. 14, Daanbantayan town in northern Cebu. | Contributed photo via Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The man, who sideswiped two young men with his tricycle along the national highway in Barangay Poblacion, Daanbantayan town in the afternoon of Oct. 14, was believed to be drunk or under the influence of liquor.
Police Major Marvin Inocencio said that the tricycle driver, Ramonito Lintijas, 56, of Lower Bantigue, Brgy. Agujo of this town could hardly walk straight when he was arrested after the accident.
Inocencio said that they would let Lintijas undergo a liquor test to prove that he was drunk during the accident.
He said that as of today, Oct. 15, the victims of the accident, Jean Claude Castro, 21, and Angelo Ryan Ytang, 18 were still confined at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC).
According to Inocencio in the police report, Dr. Hanzel Ibona, attending physician of the victims at the Daanbantayan District Hospital where the victims were first brought, recommended that Castro and Ytang be transferred to VSMMC.
Ibona said in the report that Castro’s injuries would need further treatment at the VSMMC while Ytang would need to undergo a CT scan for his head injuries there.
Police Major Inocencio said that both victims suffered head and body injuries due to the accident.
Investigation showed that both victims were walking along the national highway in Barangay Agujo, Daanbantayan at around 4:30 p.m. of Oct. 14, when suddenly they were bumped from behind by the speeding tricycle driven by Lentijas.
Lentijas was heading south to Barangay Poblacion when he accidentally sideswiped both young men walking on the side of the street.
Police Major Inocencio said that the victims were rushed to the hospital for treatment while the driver, Lentijas, was arrested.
Inocencio said that they recommended that Lentijas undergo a liquor test after they saw that Lentijas could hardly walk straight and appeared to be drunk when they arrested him.
He also said that they were also readying charges of Reckless Imprudence Resulting to Multiple Injuries against the driver.
Police Major Inocencio, however, said that the filing of charges would depend if Lentijas could settle the matter amicably with the relatives of the victims.
He said that for now, Lentijas would be detained at the Daanbantayan Police Station detention cell pending the filing of charges.
Daanbantayan, which is a first class municipality of Cebu Province, is located 128 kilometers north of Cebu City. | With Dennis Singson
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