A traffic personnel check on the SUV, one of the three vehicles that were involved in the Saturday morning accident. |CDND file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Mandaue City traffic investigators continue to look into the cause of a road accident early on Saturday morning, April 22, that injured at least 14 individuals.
Police Corporal Darwin Cempron of the Traffic Enforcement Unit of the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) said appropriate charges would be filed as soon as they are able to determine who was at fault for the accident, involving an ambulance, SUV and a Public Utility Vehicle (PUV), that happened at the intersection of Ouano Avenue and C.D. Seno Street.
Cempron admitted that there was slight delay in the conduct of their investigation because two of the three drivers, who figured in the accident, were among those injured and brought to the hospital for treatment.
Only the SUV driver was lucky to have been spared from injuries, he added.
Cempron said the three drivers appeared their office on Sunday to give their side on the accident.
“Nag abot silang tulo dinhi ganina. Nag sabot-sabot pa to sila. Since ang ambulance is owned by the city, though sa barangay siya gi issue, mangayo pa kuno’g advise ang taga barangay sa city regarding sa settlement. Ang driver pod [sa SUV] di sad siya ka kuan kay mangayo pod siya’g advice sa ubang pasahero niya. Mag sabot-sabot pa kuno sila. Magtawagay pa sila. Wa pa’y gi mention nga mag file ba’g kaso. Basta ang giingon, magtawagay lang kuno sila usa,” Cempron said.
14 injured
Cempron said six people were on board the SUV including the driver and five passengers.
The ambulance that came from Barangay Looc in Mandaue City carried four people. They were driver Cary Joy Fernandez Yuot, 48; chemotherapy patient Jackielyn Yucor, 29, and her common-law partner Wendil Regodo, 34; and a barangay watchman who was yet to be identified as of writing.
On the other hand, driver Sofronio Asedilla Tabaranza, 47, and passengers Vivian Gonzales Seroy, 54; Shawna Mae Padillo, 26; Jean Marie Alcarez Dela Cerna, 21; and Elona Pesana Zeta, 21, were on the PUJ.
Traffic investigators reported on Saturday that at least 11 people were injured in the road accident. The figure was increased to 14 on Sunday.
“Ang katong sa [pasahero sa] ambulance kay base sa giingon sa driver kay for chemo[therapy] to ang iyang gida nga pasyente. Bana’g asawa to. Ang usa kay tanod kuno kay katong time-ma, wala iyahang crew so ang tanod ang nitabang niya og hatod sa pasahero. Pero okay na kuno to sila. Naa na ron sa [Vicente] Sotto,” he said.
Cempron said that the ambulance driver was supposed to bring Yucor to the Vicente Sotto Medical Center in Cebu City for her chemotherapy.
Who is at fault?
According to Land Transportation and Traffic Code, “the driver of a vehicle upon a highway shall yield the right of way to police or fire department vehicles and ambulances when such vehicles are operated on official business and the drivers thereof sound audible signal of their approach.”
This means that emergency vehicles are given priority. Other road users would have to give way and allow the emergency vehicle to pass.
“Until nga makalabay to ang [emergency] vehicle, anhi ra gyud na sila [other vehicles] sa kilid,” Cempron said.
However, Cempron said, that the rule may not apply in this case since the accident happened in an intersection.
“Katong hitabo-a, naa man to’s intersection, so di pwede magpakilid kay naa man ta’y traffic light didto. Atong time-ma, ang Hilux, go signal. Unya ang ambulance, stop signal. Sa ambulance [driver], mingaw kuno ang intersection mao to nilahos-lahos ra siya. Ang sa Hilux [driver] pod, go siya so mao tong nidiritso ra pud siya,” the traffic investigator said.
According to Cempron, the SUV driver claimed that he did not also hear the siren of the ambulance, the reason why he continued to cross the intersection.
“Mao tong paglabang na niya, mao tong pagka bangga-a nila,” said Cempron.
Because of the impact of the collision, the SUV accidentally hit a PUJ that was on one side of the intersection.
If he were to make a conclusion based on the outcome of their initial investigation, Cempron said, all available evidence pointed to the ambulance driver as the one at fault for the traffic accident.
No charges filed yet
However, Cempron said, it was still too early to say what would be the outcome of their ongoing investigation as they continue to gather the statement of the concerned drivers and their passengers.
Cempron does not also discount the possibility of a settlement between the parties involved.
“Karon pa sila nag abot kay na ospital ang duha, ang driver sa ambulance ug sa jeep. Between ani nila, ang na grabihan ang driver sa jeep kay pag impact sa Hilux sa iyang jeep, ang iyahang bildo sa iyahang sakyanan, niigo sa iyahang ulo mao tong paglimpyo sa iyahang ulo, naa pa’y gagmayng bildo ang nakuha sa mga nurse. Gahapon moari unta to sila pero wa sila tugti sa doktor maong ako ra sila gi advise-san nga kung kanus-a mo ma okay na, ari lang mo’s opisina,” he said.
Cempron said Tabaranza was brought to Vicente Sotto Hospital for a CT Scan. The driver is yet to return to the hospital to get his CT scan results.
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