Tonight, we are happy to report that it was a surprisingly calm weekend; there were no murders, and no shootings. Sadly though, there was one traffic fatality.
Last night around 7:00, MIDH employee Jose Bautista was killed in a collision on the Benque Road. We spoke to his sister:
A father will not be going home to his one year old daughter after being the victim of yet another RTA on the Benque Road. Jose Bautista, the only son of his family, was at his mother'S home during the day before the accident happened:
Yancy Bautista, Sister of Deceased
"When I come back from the river, I went to his friend's house and then he come and my sister come and call me and said Yancy go see your brother, he gets in an accident and then I just told her, "what?" And they said go look for him."
"I run I run I run until I reach where the scenery happen and then I ask everybody that I'm, if I could pass and then they told me no because they are not allowing anybody to go in and I told the police lady that was standing there that I'm his sister and then I got through and a tall young man approached me and said Yancy, I'm sorry for your loss for what I will tell you but your brother passed away."
Police say that Bautista veered into the path of oncoming traffic:
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
"The officers reported that upon arriving on the scene, they observed a gold Toyota Camry car which was extensively damaged and inside that vehicle at the driver's seat was the unresponsive body of a male person learned to be Bautista. Also observed on the scene was a Bluebird bus which showed damage to the front driver's side and a red Toyota Corolla which also showed damage to the front driver's side. What the investigation has so far suggested is that Bautista was traveling in a west to east direction, the other two vehicles being the bus and the Toyota Corolla coming in the opposition direction. It is alleged that the vehicle that Bautista was driving veered into the lane of the bus causing a collision with the bus and the Corolla which was traveling immediately behind the bus. urine samples have been collected from the driver of the bus and the other vehicle and they have both been served with notices of intended prosecution."
Reporter
"Is there any indication that the deceased had been drinking?"
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
"As you said, a toxicology report will need to conclusively determine that but I can confirm that alcoholic beverages were observed in the vehicle of the deceased."
And even though those alcoholic beverages were found, it doesn't change the fact that he was loved by his family and will be remembered as someone who was hardworking.
Yancy Bautista, Sister of Deceased
"We were close to him, he was a good guy, he was a loving person, he had his little girl, she's one. Year and like my world just dropped and then I was there thinking what I will do now because my brother how I will remember him is being happy, I remember him like a hardworking person, he used to work for MIDH and he loved the grader, he loved his job. Every time he came around he talked about what he did during the day, he used to play football as well and I know a lot of people know him because he's a good guy."
"I try to be strong because of my mom, my mom she's sick as everybody knows because we did fundraising last year and in my mom can't take it, my dad is devastated, my sister, I'm the oldest so I have to be the strongest one."
For Now, a family is left yet again without a loved one. Jaleeza Roberts, 7 news.
We'll let you know if one of the other drivers is charged.
