A Lacson Street tragedy
Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc. |
NINFA R. LEONARDIA
Editor-in-Chief & President | CARLA
P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO
TEJIDA III Desk Editor
PATRICK PANGILINAN
Busines
Editor
NIDA A. BUENAFE
Sports Editor
RENE GENOVE Bureau
Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising
Coordinator | CARLOS
ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer |
A few weeks ago, a young girl was killed when the trisikad she was riding was hit by a speeding car, throwing her out of the flimsy vehicle and causing her head to hit the pavement, breaking her neck. She died instantly.
This happened at Lacson Street in Bacolod City, in front of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Hospital, where she was supposed to report for work as a graduating nursing student of the University of St. La Salle.
The girl was Jesseca Tabusares, 19, who was expected to graduate from the College of Nursing this year with magna cum laude honors. Her death was mourned deeply by her classmates and schoolmates as well as her teachers at the university who all spoke highly of her as a very friendly and thoughtful person. More so was it mourned by her mother, a widow, who was single-handedly bringing up her three kids, after their father had been killed about three years ago. Jesseca had been in a hurry to graduate and work so she could help her mother.
The vehicular incident at the busy Lacson Street put an end to all that.
Accidents can and do happen in any part of the city, and even of the province, and anywhere. What is senseless about the one that happened to Jesseca Tabusares was that it took place in a major busy street of the city, where she was riding a trisikad that was not supposed to ply that area. With all the speeding vehicles of all makes and sizes there, what chance does a puny contraption consisting of a bicyle and a frail sidecar against them?
Is there not supposed to be a law prohibiting such contraptions from plying major and traffic-clogged streets? And yet, all day long, these tiny vehicles manage to wend their way along Lacson and also Araneta Streets, both of which are part of the national highway.
Our traffic officials should be accountable for accidents like what happened to Jesseca Tabusares. Perhaps her truly untimely death will prod them into a stricter implementation of that law.* |