3 die in Cagayan de Oro car crash

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Three persons died when the sports car they were riding in rammed into a pickup truck in Barangay Gusa here early Wednesday morning, police said.

Police said the Toyota MR-S was driven by a certain Rhett Lester Gaeid, 21, and a resident of this city. Gaeid’s passengers were identified as Cameron Lilli Madrid, 21, and Louise Gail Lagman, 20.

Maj. Julius Clark Macariola, Agora police station commander, said the victims were on their way to the downtown area and were traversing the national highway when the car crash occurred at around 3:30 a.m. The sports car reportedly slammed into the black Chevrolet Colorado driven by Jose Georlin, who was on his way to the eastern part of the city when the accident happened.

Macariola said it was possible that the MR-S went in the opposite direction causing it to ram the pickup truck, adding a long skid mark belonging to the sports car could be seen on the scene of the accident.

He said the local government’s rescue unit had to use a metal cutter and other equipment to extract the three victims.

Attending physicians declared Gaeid and Madrid dead on arrival, while Lagman later died at the hospital.

Macariola said Georlin was taken into custody pending the investigation as to who was responsible for the crash.

He said they are also waiting for the medical result that would determine if the victims had consumed alcoholic drinks prior to the crash.

Eyewitnesses told radio reporters that the MR-S did a “drift” and turned twice before crashing.

In a radio interview, Georlin said he was on his way to Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, when the accident happened and denied he was under the influence of liquor.