Cervantes Advises Motorists To Always Wear Standard Helmets While Travelling

Aug. 7,2010
Cervantes Advises Motorists To Always Wear Their Helmets When Travelling
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Traffic Officer Donato B. Cervantes here has advised all motorists to wear always their standard helmets (not substandard helmets that are only bought for compliance purposes but cannot actually protect their heads) to save them, particularly their precious heads, from serious injuries during the occurrence of unpredictable accidents.
The police officer‘s advise came up following a road accident that happened in brgy.Kahagnaan, Matalom,Leyte recently involving a motorcycle and a passenger bus that caused sudden death to a security guard of the Saint Joseph College. The victim-security guard during investigation was discovered to have had brought his racing helmet but did not wear it and simply slung it on his shoulder.
The victim was identified as Segundo Alsola Disalles, 39 years old, married, a residence of brgy. Kahagnaan of the aforesaid municipality. Kahagnaan is the last barangay under the jurisdiction of Matalom, Leyte and nearest to Maasin’s barangy of Panan-awan.
The bus driver was identified as Camilo Jurban Miking, 39 years old, married, and a resident of Maasin City. The bus named Honor was owned by Honorato Paloma of brgy,Tagnipa.
SPO1 Cervantes in an interview disclosed that the victim had left his home at past 7:00 a.m. to report for duty at the Saint Joseph College. He was driving in high speed akin to that of the bus driver and met at a curved road in brgy.Kahagnaan.
The two vehicles were running in opposite directions: the motorcycle driver towards Maasin, while the passenger bus was bound for Silago en route to Bato, Leyte to get more additional passengers.
While maneuvering in a curved road, he said, Disalles tried to slow down by pressing his foot on the break, but it skidded due to rain and his motorcycle collided with the bus, hitting the half part of the bus’s body. He was thrown away and hit on the concrete pavement.
The security guard suffered serious injuries on his left leg and left shoulder, he said. It was so painful to move and his head was injured. He was then rushed to the provincial hospital for emergency treatment.However, the victim did not survive, Cervantes said,, and died thirty minutes later at the emergency room.
According to the nurse-on-duty Vena Malasaga Uy, the victim-security guard died of internal (brain) hemorrhage as diagnosed by the attending physician Dr. Ferylou Miel.
The police officer further said that after the victim’s body was brought to the morgue, a representative of the owner of the passenger bus had talked to the victim’s wife Jocelyn, 36 years old, at the hospital for an amicable settlement of the case.
The traffic investigator moreover said that an undisclosed amount of cash money was given to her. .The victim’s remains were then brought to St.Peter Funeral Homes in brgy. Pasay for embalmment prior to moving it to Kahagnaan.
Investigation also revealed that the victim had brought with him a racing helmet, but had just slung it on his shoulder, which would have saved his head from fatal impact and injuries.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)