DINALUPIHAN, BATAAN — A truck driver died while two others were injured after the truck they were riding lost its brakes, hitting two houses and five parked vehicles along the side of the Gapan-Olongapo road in this town Monday afternoon.
P/Lt. Col. Palaleo P. Addag, acting chief of the Dinalupihan Municipal Police Station, identified the fatality as truck driver Donald Sonza, 37, resident of Miranda Compound, Quebiawan, San Fernando, Pampanga. He was pinned inside the truck and pronounced dead by Dr. Joselito Timple of the Rural Health Unit (RHU) in this town.
Those injured were identified as Joaquin Sembrano, 41; and Jomar Esquilla, 23; both helpers of driver Sonza and residents of Meycauayan, Bulacan. They were brought to the James L. Gordon Memorial Hospital in Olongapo for treatment after the incident.
Investigation showed that at around 3 p.m. Monday, the truck being driven by victim Sonza lost its brakes while cruising the Gapan-Olongapo Highway at Barangay Bangal in this town.
According to helpers Sembrano and Esquilla, police said the driver tried to steer the truck to the right side of the road but unfortunately hit five vehicles parked unattended before it rammed two houses located nearby.
The truck then fell into a deep vacant lot. The houses that were rammed by the truck are owned by Fraxcede Bote, 54; and Angelo Bote, 42, who also owned one of the vehicles that the truck hit.
Police said the vehicles involved in the accident were a Toyota Wigo with license plate VR 5381 owned by Ray Francis Macaspac, a Mitsubishi GL with license plate CJL 412 owned by Angelo Bote, a Honda Supremo 150 tricycle owned by Roberto Macaspac, a Suzuki Raider with conduction sticker AC51713 owned by Noriel Supe, and a Suzuki Smash 110 owned by Alfredo Supe. (Shirley Matias Pizarro)