Twelve persons, 10 of them students, were injured when the jeepney they were riding, hit an acacia tree in front of the Bacolod City Police headquarters at Magsaysay Avenue in Bacolod City, at about 6:45 a.m. yesterday.

Nine of those injured were brought to the Bacolod Adventist Medical Center and two to the Dr. Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital, Police Insp. Elmer Bonilla, Station 8 chief, said.

Traffic investigation showed that the public utility jeepney, plying the Pulupandan-Bacolod route, with plate number FVT 635, driven by Jerry Java, 51, of Barangay Poblacion in Bago City, Negros Occidental, was on Magsaysay Avenue when its ball joint malfunctioned, and he lost control of the vehicle, Bonilla said.

Java also went to a hospital for check-up, Bonilla said.

He said the daughter of Java, 17, whose name he withheld, who was sitting at the front seat, sustained head injuries. The rest of the passengers, the youngest of them 11 years old, are now in stable condition.

Java has complete documents but he may face charges for reckless imprudence resulting to multiple physical injuries if no settlement is reached between him and the victims, Bonilla said.

The police are appealing to drivers to check their vehicles before travelling to ensure the safety of both themselves and their passengers.*SGG

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