BY MONNA SENARA
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SAFETY FIRST. Aldwyn Cabarrubias crosses the street with care at the pedestrian lane after learning his lesson from his hit and run incident last September 27.
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A third year computer science student was hit by a jeepney
while crossing the street from the University of the Philippines (UP) Main
Campus to the Arts and Sciences Building last September 27.
Aldwyn F.
Cabarrubias was brought to Cebu City Medical Center after obtaining bruises and
scratches from the hit and run incident that happened at 9:30 a.m.
“When I disembarked from the jeep,
there was another jeep that stopped at the pedestrian lane and blocked my view
from oncoming vehicles. While I was at the middle of the road, a third jeep
suddenly overtook it, coming so fast,” Cabarrubias said.
He said
that he was in a hurry because he was already late for his 9 a.m. class. He
immediately crossed the street a few meters away from the pedestrian lane,
after disembarking from the jeep that stopped just before the orange unloading
area.
He was hit
by the side of the jeep, throwing him off three meters away and into the
opposite lane.
“I became
dizzy at that time. Good thing the driver and konduktor of another jeep came to help me,” Cabarrubias said.
His
friend, Mary Kaye Bucad, a fourth year computer science student, witnessed the
incident and accompanied him to the hospital. After the X-ray results cleared
him of fractured or broken bones, his bruises were treated and dressed. He also
received an anti-tetanus shot and prescription medicine. He was released from
the hospital in the afternoon after spending six hours there.
The
medical expenses, which were shouldered by Bucad, were later on reimbursed
through the student insurance.
Cabarrubias
reported the jeepney with plate number GWF 143 to the Cebu City Traffic
Operations Management (CITOM) Office that same day. However, it was later found
out that they reported a wrong plate number. However, the driver of the
reported jeepney was still suspended.
“We
conducted proper investigation of what happened. We confirmed that the plate
number given by the student wasn’t the one that hit him,” said UP Cebu Head
Security Guard, Allan M. Mayuela.
“The jeep
that hit me was on its way to Colon but I was thrown off to the opposite lane.
So I mistook the jeep from that lane that dodged around me for the jeep that
actually hit me,” said Cabarrubias.
Mayuela
said that they are waiting for Cabarrubias to submit a letter saying that he
won’t file a complaint against the driver so that they can inform CITOM office
and release the mistaken driver. However, at present, Cabarrubias has not
accomplished the letter yet but said that he will not hold the driver liable
for the incident.
“I won’t
ask liabilities from him because I think he is in need [financially] and he did
that to evade expenses,” he said.
Cabarrubias
admitted that he was partly at fault in the incident for not crossing the road
properly, but the driver is also to blame for not slowing down in a school
zone.
“I think
crossing the street here is fairly safe but pedestrians need to cross
carefully. The jeepneys should also slow down and not stop at the pedestrian
lane but at the designated orange area,” Cabarrubias said.
Mayuela
said that though Cabarrubias was at fault, drivers who do not follow traffic
signs and warnings also contribute to this kind of incident.
“Drivers
should really be mindful and careful when passing through a school zone but
they just take the signs for granted,” said Mayuela.
Meanwhile,
Cabarrubias said he is recovering well from the incident. He also received
treatment from the school clinic for the dressing of his wounds.
