Armored truck guard charged in death of two-year-old boy
DAVAO CITY, Philippines May 11 2018 A two-year-old boy was killed in a pedestrian accident on Thursday, May 10, in one of Davao City’s busiest streets where a speed limit is in place.
Loviege Tirol Pangantihon was crossing a pedestrian lane with his mother in San Pedro Street past 11 am, when an armored vehicle suddenly passed by and ran over the boy, crushing his head.
This was according to an initial report by PO3 Khrist Mark Manulat, traffic investigator of the San Pedro police station a few minutes after the incident.
“The victim was accidentally hit and rolled over by the right front wheel of the armored van,” Manulat said.
There was no chance to save Pangatihon’s life, he said, because the victim “sustained a fatal injury on his head.”
Gregorio Antonio Vito Jr, the driver of the Davao Security and Investigation Agency (DASIA) car, faces charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, police said in a DXAB report.
In a separate media interview at the police station, Vito explained he was unable to see the boy crossing from his wind shield.
Armored vehicles have a limited view outside due to how they are built.
Among the first questions that was part of the investigation was whether Vito was overspeeding along San Pedro, where the speed limit is is set at 30 kilometers per hour. Davao City has a local ordinance that outlaws overspeeding to curb road accidents
Some CCTV footage capturing the incident surfaced on Thursday afternoon which strengthened the driver’s defense.
The 2-year-old was seen running away from her mother, into the direction of the vehicle, which in the video was running in a slower pace, compared to other vehicles captured in frame.
DASIA has said it would provide assistance for the family, according to P/CI Ramil Macarampat, commander of the San Pedro Police Station
