PIKIT, North Cotabato – While avoiding a stray dog along the national highway here, a passenger van instead hit an electric post that left one public school teacher dead, police said.
The freak accident occurred along the national highway in Barangay Dalingoen at about 3:30 a.m. Monday morning, also injured three persons including van driver Celso Herago Jr, .
Police Captain Mautin P. Pangandigan, acting police chief of Pikit municipal police office identified the slain passenger through her identification cards as Leonila Salang Fernandez, teacher of J Marquez Elementary School and resident of SK Pendatun Extension, Cotabato City.
She was declared dead on arrival at Cruzado Medical Clinic in Poblacion Pikit.
The Toyota D4D passenger van was heading for Cotabato City from Davao City when the accident occurred.
Herago, a resident of Barangay Poblacion 3, Midsayap, North Cotabato, told traffic investigators that he was avoiding a stray dog that crossed the highway. He lost control of the steering wheel and the van hit an electric post. –Edwin O. Fernandez