Lovers' tiff may have caused accident: Foreigner hurt after truck collides with SUV

CEBU, Philippines - A male foreign national was injured after the Kia Sportage he was driving collided with a 10-wheeler truck while speeding on the Cebu South Coastal Road along Sitio Salvador, Barangay Tanke, Talisay City at noon time yesterday.

PO2 Narciso Alforque, traffic investigator, identified the victim as Michael Plaice, 68, believed to be an Irish national temporarily residing in Barangay Balirong, Naga City.

Alforque said the black Kia Sportage bearing plate number KFA 313 was on its way to Cebu City when it tried to overtake the speeding Isuzu dump truck with plate number GN-663, driven by Jose Sonny Borbon, 44.

The dump truck, carrying limestones, was on its way to barangay Talamban, Cebu City.

According to the truck boy, Tata Inocencio, 24, they were on the right lane of the highway when he noticed the said sports utility vehicle trailing them on the left lane.

Inocencio said it seemed that the couple was fighting inside the SUV because the car was running in a zigzag manner.

Moments later the same car tried to overtake them and instead, hit the truck’s bumper.

He said the impact caused the SUV to swerve and turn around so that it was already facing the speeding truck.

In his effort not to collide with the SUV, Borbon maneuvered the truck to the direction of the center island.

Already out of control, the truck hit the nearby lamppost and flipped on its left side. Its “cap” fell and hit the driver’s side of the SUV, where Plaice was stuck.

Bystanders were however quick to rescue Plaice and his Filipina girlfriend Ma. Lourdes Amaril, 38, of Balirong rushed him to Chong Hua Hospital.

The traffice investigator said Plaice’s left arm was badly damaged and he had to undergo an operation. Inocencio was also injured when he stepped on broken glass from the truck’s windshield.

Alforque said they are still conducting a follow-up investigation to find out who was responsible for the accident. — (FREEMAN)