At least 11 persons were injured, including the driver, when a van crashed into a tree in Don Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental.

The 11 patients were taken to the hospital.

The incident took place at the highway of Barangay Igmayaan, Don Salvador Benedicto afternoon on January 20, 2026.

According to the police, the persons on board the van are relatives. They were reportedly from a resort in Don Salvador Benedicto for the birthday celebration of the driver.

On their way home, the driver lost control of the vehicle while in Barangay Igmayaan.

“Nag-malfunction ang kanyang brake kaya hindi siya nakapagpreno at nag-off shoot sa gilid ng kalsada ang kanilang van. Early pa naman silang umuwi, mga 4:30p.m.,” said Police Lt. Lovely Cordova, deputy chief of Don Salvador Benedicto Municipal Police Station.

One of the responders is Crescian Jade Requiña, a nurse. Requiña was on board another vehicle, traveling behind the van.

“Nauna lang sila sa amin mga few minutes. Wala pang rescue, sila lang yung nagkusang mag-rescue sa kanilang sarili. Sabi ko, nurse naman ako. Yung si nanay, dislocated ang tuhod, namimilipit sa sakit,” Requiña said.

Later, municipal rescuers arrived and assisted all 11 persons.

Meanwhile, a 26-year-old woman perished in a motorcycle collision in Barangay Marina, Binalbagan town. Two others were injured in the road mishap.

According to the police, the woman was riding in pillion with her live-in partner. The motorcycle collided reportedly with another motorcycle driven by a 50-year-old man.

“Maaaring hindi napansin ng nag-cross ang isang rider. Ang mag-live-in, going Hinigaran na way, ang isang rider galing sa intersection, hindi siya nag-stop, diretsong tumawid,” Captain Joelan Vinson, chief of Binalbagan Municipal Police Station, said.

The woman died of severe head injury, according to the authorities.

The two riders are undergoing medical treatment, as of this writing.