Teacher, Rider Die in Negros Motorcycle Crashes

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY – Two people, including a teacher, died, and two others were injured in separate motorcycle accidents in Negros Occidental on Jan. 8.

In Calatrava town, a 40-year-old teacher identified as “Jennifer” was killed, while her 46-year-old live-in partner sustained injuries after their motorcycle crashed into another parked motorcycle in Barangay Dolis.

Police Capt. Jesus Alba, deputy chief of the Calatrava Municipal Police Station, said the couple was en route to a school that morning when the live-in partner lost control of the motorcycle on a downhill curve. Police believe the driver was unfamiliar with the terrain.

Since neither was wearing a helmet, the teacher suffered fatal head injuries, while her live-in partner sustained minor injuries, Alba said.

A 15-year-old boy standing by the roadside was also injured after being struck by the couple’s motorcycle. He was taken to a hospital in Bacolod City for treatment.

Alba said the teacher’s live-in partner, who had just returned from working abroad, offered to cover the minor’s medical expenses.

In Pontevedra town, a 36-year-old motorcycle rider died after crashing into a 10-wheeler truck loaded with sugarcane in Barangay Don Salvador Benedicto.

Police Capt. Darryl Kuhutan, head of the Pontevedra Police, said the victim, a resident of La Castellana town, was on his way home when he reportedly tried to overtake the truck as it signaled a left turn toward a sugar mill.

The rider slipped and fell under the truck, leading to his death, Kuhutan said.

The 36-year-old truck driver was released from police custody following an initial discussion with the victim’s family.