Girl killed, mother loses arm to speeding bus

MANILA, Philippines - A three-year-old girl was killed while her mother’s arm was amputated after they were hit by a passenger bus whose driver was rushing to pick up passengers in front of Camp Crame in Quezon City yesterday afternoon.

“The woman and her daughter had their hands raised while they were crossing a pedestrian lane near the Santolan flyover, but the driver did not see them,” said a woman who saw the girl hit by a JELL Transit bus driven by Mario Villamar.

The bus crushed the girl’s body and the left arm of her mother, Christine Jumabon, 28, who was taken to the Philippine National Police (PNP) General Hospital for treatment.

Jumabon was reportedly a civilian employee of the PNP but hospital personnel refused to give details about her. Investigators have yet to find out the name of Jumabon’s daughter.

Police said Villamar, 54, was taken into police custody.

Initial investigation showed that Jumabon and her daughter were crossing the southbound lane of EDSA when they were hit by the bus.

Witnesses said the driver was looking at the right side and rushing to pick up passengers.

“I did not see them. Other people told me to stop. I did not know that I ran over them,” Villamar said.