Oct.

3,2009
Stray Dogs Cause Accident To Motorcycle Drivers
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte—Two stray dogs that suddenly crossed the streets have
caused serious accidents to two motorcycle drivers in two separate occasions and
in two distant places here in this 8-year-old city.
The first happened in brgy. Pasay at past 8 Friday evening and the second
accident occurred in brgy. Dungon at past 9 Thursdays morning.
The first victim was identified as Roger Bien Tiempo Dumagat, 20 years old,
single and a resident of brgy.
Rizal, Macrohon, about 21 kilometers away from Maasin.
In an interview at the provincial hospital here he said he left his residence
at about 8:00p.m.together with a
Friend named Cathlea Kanzuela, 18 years old, a commerce student at the Saint
Joseph College. They were bound for brgy. Pugaling for some appointment with
friends.
However, before they could reach the place a brown-colored stray dog suddenly
crossed the street in the preceding brgy.of.Pasay. He said he could not find a way
to evade the dog and was also in high speed and eventually hit the animal. He said
his motorcycle skidded and slid and throwing him out and he did not know what
happen next.
“When I feel conscious”, he said. “I was already at the hospital. What I
remember is that the dog shrieked
After I hit it and died.”
Dumagat sustained some injuries on his forehead above his right eye, left
and right arms, ankles.The outer part of his two eyes were having a hematoma
(naglagom in local term).Fortunately, like his previous accident involving a
motorcycle collision, he intimated, at the crossing section of brgy. Pacu, he did
not suffer a fractured bone. His skull and brain x-rays were negative of any
damage, he said.Nevertheless, his motorcycle was badly damaged.
Kanzuela, his back rider has only slight bruises and was released at the
hospital after treatment.
The second victim was identified as Ian Orito Mendoza, 20, single and a
resident of brgy. Dungon.He was a commerce student of St.Joseph College here. He
said he left their house at 9:00 a.m.driving his motorcycle to attend classes.
Also driving in high speed, he said, he hit a white-colored stray dog that
suddenly crossed his way. Like the first victim, he was also thrown away hitting
his head on the concrete pavement and felt unconscious.
He said he was brought to the hospital by someone in the neighborhood who saw
him laying on the road.
He sustained injuries in his right arms, nose, right ankle, a swollen forehead.
His left foot remain painful, he said, and looked swollen obviously caused by the
impact of being thrown away.
During the previous years several road accidents were attributed to stray
dogs in some barangays of Maasin.
One such kind of accident happened about four years ago. An Engineer working at
the DPWH as reportedly revealed met his untimely death when upon driving a
motorcycle a stray dog in brgy. Abgao suddenly crossed the street and hit it. His
motorcycle swayed and hit something that badly injured him.
The series of road accidents principally caused by stray dogs have prompted
the Maasin City Council to
enact an ordinance prohibiting dog owners in Maasin’s 70 barangays to let loose
their pets.
Stray dogs presently caught by the city enforcers were impounded and dog
owners were fined P500 upon their pet’s retrieval.However,the financial status of
any violator of the pet ordinance can sometimes made a bargain to the enforcer to
lower his/her fine as divulged by one of the pet’s owners. But the granting of a
bargain depends upon the kind of pet’s breeding the owner has and how a violator
will talk out his financial situation.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)