Rider killed, another critical in Tagaytay motorcycle-bus crash

One rider was killed while another was critically injured after their motorcycles collided with a bus in Tagaytay City early Saturday morning, police said.

In an exclusive report by Oscar Oida on “24 Oras Weekend,” CCTV footage showed the incident occurring past 6 a.m. at an intersection along Patutong Malaki Bypass Road, where two motorcycles struck a passenger bus almost simultaneously.

The impact left bus passengers shaken.

“Akala po namin kung ano lang. Pagbaba ko po, ang dami pong tao. Yung isa po, hindi na nagalaw. Yung isa naman po ay nagsisigaw pa,” said witness Rowelyn Larios.

(We thought it was nothing at first. When I got off, there were many people already. One of them was no longer moving. The other one was still shouting.)

Authorities said both motorcycles were ridden by male drivers. One was declared dead on arrival at a hospital, while the other remains in critical condition.

Initial police investigation suggested that the riders may have been familiar with the area and were speeding at the time of the crash.

“The road there is newly constructed. Motorists may not yet be familiar with the crossing, so they tend to drive straight and fast,” said Police Maj. Norman Catsao, Tagaytay City deputy chief of police.

The bus driver immediately surrendered to authorities.

Police said the families of the riders opted not to file complaints after reaching a settlement, with the bus company reportedly agreeing to extend assistance to the victims.

“They had an agreement that the company would just provide assistance to the victims, as the families are convinced that the riders were at fault,” police said.

Catsao reminded motorists to exercise caution to avoid similar incidents.

“We should always observe defensive driving. If we are not familiar with the road, we should not drive fast to avoid crashes,” he said.—MCG, GMA News