Three persons on board a motorcycle were killed when a pickup truck had overtaken them in Barangay Canas, San Dionisio town in the Province of Iloilo.

According to police investigation, the three from Barangay Cubay in San Dionisio were headed for the town of Carles to attend a funeral vigil on Saturday night, November 9, 2024.

A speeding pickup truck had overtaken them but hit them instead.

The motorcycle was dragged about 100 meters away.

The victims who were identified as live-in partners Artemio Arabe, 64 years old, and Rosemary Asupra, 50 years old, and the woman’s 15-year-old daughter sustained fatal injuries on the head.

The victims were not wearing crash helmets. 

The couple died on the spot, while the daughter was pronounced dead on arrival at the Sara District Hospital.

“Pag-overtake nya, nahagip nya (ang motorsiklo), kinaladkad nya dahil sa bilis ng kanyang takbo. According sa findings ng doctor, acute respiratory (failure) due to head injury,” Captain Edward Villanis, officer in charge of the San Dionisio Municipal Police Station, said.

Khelsy Asupra, Rosemary’s eldest child, in a post on her social media account expressed she is not prepared to accept the tragic news. She said that had she only have a hint that the trip could go wrong, she could have embraced the victims tightly before they left.

The driver of the pickup truck was identified as a certain “Alex,” 26 years old, a businessman.

Aside from the three, Alex also rammed into another motorcycle that injured another rider.

Alex proceeded to the town of Batad and left his vehicle there before he went back to San Dionisio to surrender to the authorities. 

According to Alex, because the area is dark he did not notice of the motorcycle. He admitted to driving in a hurry to get to the town of Estancia for a meeting.

Cases for reckless imprudence resulting to multiple homicide and reckless imprudence resulting to physical injury are set to be filed against him. 

As of posting time, it was learned from the Land Transportation Office 6 that the driver is likely to face revocation of his license.