Ceres bus fatally runs over 4-year-old in Escalante

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — A 4-year-old boy died after he was run over by a Ceres Liner bus in Barangay Mabini, Escalante City, Negros Occidental, on Wednesday.

Police Lt. Col. Florendo Fajardo, chief of the Escalante City Police Station, said the child and his parents took the bus from the terminal to Barangay Mabini.

A bus conductor helped the parents carry the child as the family got off the vehicle, Fajardo said.

The parents were attending to their belongings when the boy reportedly walked toward the front of the bus without their noticing, he said.

As the bus began to move, a bystander shouted that a child had been struck and signaled the driver to stop.

The parents then realized that their son was no longer beside them.

The boy suffered severe head injuries and was declared dead at a hospital.

Police took the 45-year-old bus driver into custody for further investigation.

Fajardo said the boy’s 29-year-old father and 24-year-old mother had not decided whether to file charges.

The parents and representatives of the bus company had yet to meet, he said.

The investigation remained ongoing, and no charges had been filed as of Wednesday.