Road accident update: Motorcycle driver, rider killed in 5-vehicle smashup in Cebu City

Police confirmed that the motorcycle driver and his female backrider who was involved in the 5-vehicle smashup along the Osmeña Boulevard on Thursday, February 8, have died. | Emmariel Ares

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Police here confirmed that the motorcycle driver and his female backrider, who were rushed to the hospital after a 5-vehicle mashup on Thursday, February 8, 2024, have died.

The accident happened along the Osmeña Boulevard in Cebu City at past 12:00 p.m. on Thursday.

The victim was identified as Marcelino Pepito, a resident of Cebu City.

Meanwhile, his female back rider remains unidentified as of this writing.

READ: Road accident: 3 hurt in 5-vehicle smashup in Cebu City

A report from the Traffic Enforcement Unit (TEU) of the Cebu City Police Station revealed that the accident was caused by the sport utility vehicle (SUV) driven by 62-year-old Marcelino Denila.

Denila is a resident of Barangay Pahina Central in Cebu City.

It further showed that at around 12:40 p.m., Denila was traveling towards the downtown area when the smashup took place.

READ: What should bystanders, drivers do when witnessing an accident?

At a certain point in the route, however, Denila allegedly accidentally hit the left side portion of a public utility vehicle (PUV) driven by Renante Sumayang, 54, that was traveling in the opposite direction.

After witnessing the collision between the two, another PUV driven by Jonel Sabrido swerved to the left to avoid crashing into them.

Following this, Denila allegedly lost control of his vehicle and accelerated which lead to him bumping Pepito’s motorcycle.

READ: ‘Hit-and-run’: What it is and sanctions erring drivers face

Because of the impact, the backrider was thrown towards the front portion of Sabrido’s PUV while Pepito slammed onto the right side of the vehicle.

After this, the SUV continued on and collided with the left side of another SUV driven by Precillas.

Onboard his vehicle were a 19-year-old woman and a one-year-old baby.

One of Denila’s passengers also suffered minor injuries during the accident.

READ: Motorcycle driver dead in road crash

Pepito was brought to the St. Vincent Hospital while his backrider was rushed to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

Both persons, however, did not make it alive to the hospital.

According to the report, Denila was found to be responsible for the accident for failure to observe prudent and care while driving.

Denila previously told reporters that he panicked while driving which caused him to speed up along the road.

The suspect was then arrested by police and was detained at the custodial facility of the TEU, as of this writing.

According to the report, he will be facing charges of reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property with physical injuries and double homicide.

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