Twin motorcycle crashes claim 2

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Two men riding separate motorcycles in opposite directions were killed in a freak accident before dawn Sunday after both collided with the same 10-wheeler cargo truck along the national highway in Medina, Misamis Oriental.

Police Captain Teddy Macarayo, chief of the Medina Police Station, reported that a third person — the backrider of one of the motorcycles — sustained serious injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital.

The incident occurred around 3 a.m., when the first motorcyclist, reportedly under the influence of alcohol and heading toward Gingoog City, attempted to overtake another vehicle and swerved into the opposite lane. He crashed head-on into a 10-wheeler cargo truck bound for Cagayan de Oro City.

As the truck came to a sudden stop, a second motorcyclist — also allegedly intoxicated and traveling behind the truck — failed to brake in time and rear-ended the vehicle.

Both motorcycles were pinned — one under the front and the other under the rear of the truck. Both riders died on the spot. The injured backrider survived the impact but suffered severe head and body injuries, police said.

Authorities confirmed that neither of the victims was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

This was the second fatal motorcycle-truck collision in Misamis Oriental in less than a month.

On 15 August, a 16-year-old motorcycle rider was killed and three others injured in a similar three-vehicle collision along the national highway in Purok 1, Poblacion, Talisayan town.

The teenager was driving toward Cagayan de Oro City when he collided head-on with another motorcycle — driven by Robert Relucio, carrying two minor backriders — which had unexpectedly swerved into his lane.