Authorities in Ilocos Norte are investigating three separate vehicular accidents that occurred over the weekend in the towns of Badoc, Pagudpud and San Nicolas, leaving a police officer dead and several others injured.
In San Nicolas, a self-vehicular accident involving a motorcycle occurred along the Manila North Road in Barangay 19, in front of a car dealership. Responding personnel from the San Nicolas Municipal Police Station arrived at the scene around 7:42 p.m.
Initial investigation showed that a 16-year-old male from Barangay 10, San Paulo, Ilocos Norte, was driving a gray Honda Click 125 motorcycle westbound at a high rate of speed when he lost control while negotiating a light curve. The motorcycle reportedly overshot toward the outer portion of the road and slammed into the wall of a canal bridge.
Due to the strong impact, the driver was thrown from the motorcycle and sustained severe injuries. Personnel from the Rural Health Unit and the Bureau of Fire Protection immediately transported the victim via ambulance to the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center in Batac City for medical treatment.
Police said the motorcycle sustained damage, with repair costs yet to be determined. Further investigation also revealed that the driver was allegedly intoxicated and had no driver’s license at the time of the incident.
Earlier that day, another self-vehicular accident was reported in Barangay Balaoi, Pagudpud, involving a 22-wheeler Hyundai trailer truck loaded with soft drink products.
Personnel from the Pagudpud Municipal Police Station, along with responders from the Bureau of Fire Protection, Rural Health Unit, and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, responded to the incident shortly after 10:05 a.m.
Police investigation showed that the truck, driven by Godfrey Geroy Baisa, 30, of Libertad, Abulog, Cagayan, was traveling northbound along a downhill road when the driver reportedly noticed that the vehicle suddenly lost its brakes while approaching a sharp curve. The driver then lost control of the steering wheel, causing the truck to crash into the center portion of the road.
Baisa and his passenger, Maenard Respondo, 21, a helper from Luna, Apayao, sustained minor injuries and were transported to Bangui District Hospital for medical attention. The truck also sustained damage, although the cost of repair has yet to be determined.
Meanwhile, a more serious collision occurred along the national highway in Barangay Mabusag Sur, Badoc, involving a heavy trailer truck and a Toyota Vios.
Police investigation disclosed that the trailer truck, driven by Erick Marinez Garrote, 36, of Aparri, Cagayan, was traveling southbound toward the uphill portion near Badoc Bridge when the Toyota Vios driven by Police Corporal Marc Anthony Llana Rafanan, 40, assigned to the Currimao Municipal Police Station, allegedly suffered a front tire blowout.
The tire blowout reportedly caused the vehicle to swerve into the opposite lane, resulting in a collision with the oncoming truck.
Emergency responders from the Badoc Municipal Police Station, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Rural Health Unit rushed Rafanan to Karmelli Hospital after he sustained injuries to various parts of his body. The truck driver was brought to a clinic in Sinait, Ilocos Sur, for medical examination.
However, Rafanan was later transferred to the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center, where he was declared dead at exactly 3:15 p.m. on March 7 by attending physician Dr. Roxanne Dela Rosa.
Medical findings indicated that the police officer sustained severe injuries, including a depressed skull fracture with a 10-centimeter laceration on the parietal area, consistent with severe traumatic brain injury. He also suffered flail chest with depressed mediastinum due to blunt chest trauma, multiple fractures on the left forearm, left distal leg and right femur, as well as abrasions on the left anterior leg.
Authorities said the trailer truck sustained damage to its left front portion and a blown-out front tire, while the Toyota Vios incurred heavy damage to its front section. The estimated cost of repairs for both vehicles has yet to be determined.
Police reminded motorists to exercise caution while driving, especially along curves and downhill portions of highways, and to ensure that vehicles are in good mechanical condition before traveling.