Elderly man killed in ‘hit-and-runs’

By: Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – An elderly man died after he was sideswiped by a motorcycle and ran over by two other vehicles at Araneta Street, Barangay Sum-ag here Sunday night.

Police Captain Jun Ray Batadlan, head of Police Station 9, identified the fatality as Eduardo Enriquez, 62, of the said village.

Batadlan said Enriquez was crossing a dimly-light portion of the road at around 8:40 p.m. when he was allegedly sideswiped by a motorcycle driven by an unidentified man.

The motorcycle driver, who was traveling southwards, did not stop to help the victim.

Worse, Batadlan said a Ceres Liner bus driven by Regie Lejarso, 38, of Binalbagan town, also ran over the victim.

Lejarso did not stop, claiming he did not see the victim on the ground, Batadlan said.

It did not stop there as a tricycle driven by an unidentified man also ran over the victim, and fled. Enriquez died on the spot.

Batadlan said the two other vehicles can be considered liable for the death of the victim, though the motorcycle directly caused the accident.

“We didn’t know the severity of the victim’s injuries when he was hit by the motorcycle,” he added.

Batadlan said only the Vallacar Transit Inc. (VTI) reached out to the victim’s family after what happened.

Lejarso was placed in police custody but was released around 6 p.m. yesterday, after the lapse of the 18-hour-reglementary period, he added.

Police are still trying to identify the tricycle and motorcycle drivers through the closed circuit television (CCTV) camera installed nearby the scene of the accident.

Meanwhile, Jesedith Marquez Seballos, VTI legal and media relations manager, said they will extend assistance to the victim’s family, after having an initial settlement with them.