By Alexandria San Juan
Three people riding motorcycles were killed while another one was injured in separate road accidents in Quezon City on Christmas day.
Quezon City Police District Traffic Sector 6 (TS-6) commander Josefina Cuartero identified the first fatality as Carlo Dagapin, a resident of Banlat, Quezon City.
According to Cuartero, Dagapin was riding his motorcycle with his friend Ferdinand Jimenez, 39, along Mindanao Avenue corner Quirino Highway tunnel in Barangay Talipapa around 11:30 p.m. Monday when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the center island of the road.
Due to the impact, the two men were thrown off their motorcycle and hit a concrete pavement.
Responding rescuers rushed the victims to a nearby hospital where Dagapin was declared dead on arrival due to severe head and body injuries.
A barangay officer said that Jimenez admitted they were drunk that night from a holiday celebration before the accident happened.
Four hours after, a man and a woman, who were still unidentified, died when a passenger bus ran over the motorcycle they were riding.
PO3 Antonio Tabios, traffic investigator, said that the motorcycle was traversing southbound along Mindanao Avenue around 3:50 a.m. when it took a right turn on Congressional Avenue towards EDSA Muñoz.
The City Bus bus plying the routes of Novaliches-Alabang driven by Danilo Dela Cerna, 44, was also speeding towards the same direction.
The bus suddenly ran over the motorcycle pinning its riders who were both not wearing helmets.
Responding rescuers also used a hydraulic jack to lift the bus and pull out the bodies of the victims who were declared dead at around 5:20 a.m.
Dela Cerna is now under custody of the TS 6 and may face reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide with damage to property charges upon the completion of evidence against him.
The bodies of the victims were brought to Eldrich Funeral in Quezon City for safekeeping.