DUMAGUETE CITY–Christmas Day was tragic for three motorists who were pinned by a big branch of a mango tree which fell on them as they were passing the ukay-ukay stalls at Villa Amada along the National Highway in Daro, Dumaguete City.
Jose Marie Garcia, 50, of Boloc-Boloc, Sibulan, his backrider Danny Dagooc and Mel Ann Bayona, 18, of barangay Candau-ay, Dumaguete City, were rushed to the hospital for treatment of various serious injuries in the head and body.
The incident caused a one-hour traffic jam which had the police, the fire department and Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria rushing to the scene.
The accident happened only about 100 meters also in barangay Daro from where two big trees fell on a tricycle, killing its driver sometime last year.
“There’s really a need for us to trim more tree branches,” Sagarbarria said, as he expressed hope that this move would not elicit protests from tree-lovers.
A policeman who was at the scene noted that while the branch looked healthy, its core was rotten. “This really poses a big danger to motorists,” he said.