ILOILO — A 36-year-old truck driver died while his helper was injured after their vehicle overshot the road and crashed into a pig pen in Barangay Apelo, Sara, Iloilo on Monday night, July 6.
Police said the driver, identified only as alias “Rey,” a resident of Barangay Mandalagan, Bacolod City, was pinned underneath the truck and sustained fatal wounds from a piece of wood. His helper, 37-year-old alias “Cyril” from Barangay Poblacion Ilawod, Lambunao, Iloilo, survived the crash with multiple injuries.
Police Lieutenant Brett Balopiños, Sara Municipal Police Station officer-in-charge, told Aksyon Radyo Iloilo that the incident occurred at around 10:30 p.m.
Balopiños said the truck was traversing a curved portion of the road when its brakes suddenly failed. Compounded by the heavy load of molasses it was transporting, the driver lost control. The truck overshot the road and slammed into a nearby pig pen.
Due to the impact, the truck rolled over, trapping Rey underneath. Emergency responders rushed to the scene, but the retrieval operation took nearly three hours. Rey was finally pulled out at around 1 a.m. on Tuesday but was declared dead on the spot.
Meanwhile, Cyril was rushed to a local hospital for medical treatment. Authorities confirmed he is currently in stable condition.
Sara police said the truck originated from Passi City and was en route to deliver the molasses to the municipality of Estancia when the tragic accident occurred./PN
