DINALUPIHAN, Bataan — Three women died when a loaded trailer truck crashed into a store and residential building along the Jose Abad Santos Avenue in Barangay Bangal here early morning of Saturday.
The truck was travelling downward the steep portion of JASA, formerly the Olongapo–Gapan Road, towards the Olongapo City direction when its brake allegedly malfunctioned.
The fatalities were a 50-year-old mother and her 28-year-old daughter, both from Bangal who were pushed out of their beds and had to be dug from the debris, and a 26-year-old female rider from Olongapo City whose motorcycle was smashed.
The trailer truck driver could not be located and only his helper, reportedly a minor, was left but unhurt.
Phebe Grace Yecina, 35, recalled how she and her 8-year-old daughter miraculously were saved from the tragedy when the big truck rammed the concrete wall of their bedroom. The mother only sustained minor bruises on her hands and feet while the child was without any wound.
The mother said it was 5 in the morning and they were still sleeping when the incident happened. “Mabuti ang higa namin ng anak ko ganoon (pointing to the mattress) pahalang at hindi paayon.”
“Biglang may ‘bog’. Pagdilat ng mata ko mga debris dumaan sa mukha ko, nalanghap ko mga ganyan (pointing to crashed concrete). Nasa isip ko makabangon, maka-survive. Hindi ko makita anak ko, ang nakita ko mga ganito (basag na semento). Nakatabing pala ng comforter ang anak ko na mabuti makapal,” Yecina said.
“Nang makita ko comforter ng anak ko, sigaw ako nang sigaw at tumigil lang ako nang sumagot ang anak ko. Hindi ko pa noon napansin ang trak. Ipinagpapasalamat namin na walang malalaking tipak na semento na tumama sa amin,” the mother said.
Ramon Pedrajeta said he was sleeping in their house nearby when he was awakened by the loud crash at 5 a.m.
“Lumabas ako nakita ko ang trailer nakapasok na, gate namin nawala. Una kong nakita patay na babae sa motorsiklo tapos nakita kong hinukay pa nila dalawang natabunan puro babae, mag-ina. Nang makuha patay na, nadaganan ng mga hollow blocks,” the old man said.
Pedrajeta whose son-in-law owns the damaged store said they have not seen the driver of the truck.
Report showed that damaged were a sari-sari store and residential house where the mother and daughter fatalities resided.
The lady rider on board her motorcycle was travelling from Olongapo City towards the Dinalupihan town proper when it was bumped in head-on collision by the trailer truck that allegedly lost its brake.
After hitting the motorcycle, the truck continued to move forward and rammed the store and house where mother and daughter fatalities were sleeping.
The woman rider was declared dead on the spot while the Olongapo City Rescue Team retrieved the bodies of the mother and her daughter.
Police said investigation and manhunt for the trailer driver were still on.
