At around 11:40 P.M. last night, an accident occurred at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas Miag-ao Campus (UPV – Miag-ao), Miag-ao, Iloilo. A truck and a tricycle carrying six (6) students of the said university collided with one another. One, a certain Alyssa Naranjo, was declared dead-on-arrival at a hospital (I’m not quite sure which hospital yet, sorry!) while the others are, as of this writing, still in critical condition. The tricycle driver, Carlito Muzones, also died, but I’m not exactly sure when.
This is really a depressing moment for the family of the victims, for the entire UPV – Miag-ao community, and for the people who, though not being related in any way, sympathize with the victims. What’s even more depressing is the fact that these kids didn’t do anything wrong yet they suffered. The tricycle driver, for sure, took extreme measures to drive safely (although it has been said that the tricycle was overloaded) yet they suffered. They suffered not because of their own wrongdoings but because of the stupidity of others. From what I’ve heard, truck’s headlights were busted but the driver opted to take it to the road anyway.
So, the driver may argue that he really needs money, which is why he made that trip (whatever that “trip” may be, i.e, delivery/transporting of goods, etc.) He may also argue that having the headlights fixed is expensive. But is the desire to satisfy immediate financial needs enough to justify risking your own safety and the safety of others? For me, and for a lot of people, the answer would be a resounding “NO!”
Death is inevitable, but dying in an accident can be avoided if everyone would simply do their part in keeping the community safe. If there’s something we could get about this accident, it’s the reminder to always drive safely. It might sound cliché, but yes, please! Drive safely. Don’t drive when you’re drunk. Drive slowly in dark, accident-prone areas. ALWAYS check to see if every single part of your vehicle is working in tip-top shape. Again, there is no excuse, I repeat, there is no excuse, to neglect everyone’s safety.
Please pray for the families of the victims that they remain strong amid these trying times.
(Here is an older post about unexpected deaths.)
patrickkennan.com 