ILOILO – A delivery run ended in tragedy early yesterday morning when a truck carrying fish lost its brakes and flipped over along a steep curve in Barangay San Juan, Barotac Viejo town.
One of the helpers identified as alias “Arn”, 55, a resident of Barangay Tiwi, Barotac Nuevo town, died, while three others were injured.
Arn was seated at the far end of the truck’s front seat and reportedly suffered a fatal head injury when the vehicle tipped near a ravine. He was declared dead on arrival at the hospital at around 5:20 a.m.
According to Police Major Ciriaco Esquilarga, chief of the Barotac Viejo Municipal Police Station, the delivery truck was en route from Estancia town to Iloilo City carrying a load of bangrus (milkfish) when the accident happened.
“Pag-abot nila sa dulhugon nga parte sang dalan, wala na nagkagat ang preno. Didto ini natumba kag bumunggo sa banglid,” Esquilarga explained. “Sa pagkatumba sang truck, ang pahinante nga si Arn amo ang pinakauna nga natupa. Nabunggo ang iya ulo kag amo ina ang nagresulta sa iya kamatayon.”
The two other helpers — aliases “Apa” from Barotac Nuevo and “Ron,” 57, from Molo, Iloilo City — along with the truck driver, alias “Vince,” also of Molo, suffered bruises and minor injuries and were immediately brought to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Esquilarga said overloading may have been a contributing factor.
“Gina-validate pa namon kon bala sobra ang karga sang truck. May posibilidad nga nakaapekto ina sa pagpreno kag sa aksidente,” he said.
The police chief added: “Ang lugar ginakabig nga accident-prone. May mga nagkalatabu na nga kapareho nga insidente diri sa nagligad.”
The police were also investigating possible liability on the part of the delivery company.
“Gina-usisa pa namon kun may salabton ang kumpanya sa natabu. Importante nga matukiban kon may kakulangan sa maintenance ukon negligence sa pihak sang mga safety regulations,” said Esquilarga.
As of this writing, the Barotac Viejo MPS continued to gather evidence and testimonies to determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident./PN
