Danilo Cojo was driving his 10 wheeler truck from Naga City towards Cebu City via SRP around dawn of last Sunday, when a sedan driven by Rostico Bas, on his way to Talisay City, swerved and slammed into Cojo’s truck.

According to the results of the traffic investigation, there was no sign that Bas was able to step on the brakes before impact. Bas – along with his other companions – died before reaching the hospital.

According to the truck driver, he saw the sedan swerving left to right, and then suddenly crossed the other lane hitting the center island before hitting his truck. Danilo Cojo who has been driving for over 20 years, without any record of any major accidents, is now in jail. His employer has offered to pay the victims family the amount of PHP 150,000.00, and Cojo has also apologized.

If the traffic report was correct that it was the sedan that crossed the opposite lane resulting to a collision, why is the driver of the truck that the sedan hit behind bars? What is the liability of the truck driver, in this case, when he was on the right lane driving straight? According to the traffic enforcer I spoke with regarding this incident, it is a normal procedure to hold the driver of any incident that involves the loss of life. It wasn’t clear if this was even a law or a normal procedure.

Either way, I think this is unfair and our lawmakers should look into this closely. I understand that the loss of life in a traffic accident is a serious matter, and I empathize to those who have lost their loved ones; but what about the rights of the truck driver? We cannot allow incarcerating someone for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. He has rights too. These are the kind of laws that our law makers should review and amend if necessary.

After a few days, the family of the victims dropped charges against Danilo Cojo and even gave him money so he can go home to his mother who died after learning that he was in jail. The victim’s family stated that Danilo Cojo had nothing to do with the death of Rostico Bas and his companions. In this incident, we are lucky to have a family that – in spite of their loss and anguish – could still consider the feelings of others and do the right thing.