A DRIVER who “blacked out” behind the wheel following a night-shift duty struck a runner Saturday morning across from Ada Gym on Beach Road.
Kurt Songsong, who was struck by a car on Saturday morning, shows a large get-well-soon card he received from friends.
The Department of Public Safety did not identify the victim, but Variety learned that he is Kurt Songsong, one of the participants in the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library 5K Literacy Fun Run on April 23, 2022.
Race event organizer Edward Dela Cruz Jr. said he “cannot confirm if the driver was drunk. DPS officers took him into custody and were to test him at the station. I have no other information on exactly what happened. I was at the finish line. Please get in contact with DPS for the full report. I can confirm that the participant is fine and is at home recovering,” Dela Cruz added.
Some witnesses said before hitting the runner, the vehicle plowed through the cones without slowing down.
In a statement on Monday, DPS stated that on April 23, 2022, at about 6:35 a.m., it received a 911 call reporting an auto-pedestrian incident in front of Ada Gym in Susupe. Police and medics were dispatched to the scene.
At the scene, police met with a witness who stated that they were part of a running race.
The witness stated that they were running south when they heard a vehicle pass them on the roadway before it struck a traffic cone and attempted to swerve onto the inner lane, hitting a runner from behind.
Witnesses stated that the vehicle “was traveling at a good rate of speed,” DPS said.
The victim was transported to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. for further treatment.
The operator of the vehicle told police that he was returning home from an overnight shift “before blacking out and not remembering what had happened.”
At about 7:15 a.m., the operator was transported to DPS central for a follow-up investigation.
DPS said the operator had zero blood alcohol content and it was determined that he had fallen asleep while operating the vehicle.
DPS did not mention the operator’s name.
DPS is asking motorists to avoid being behind the wheel while drunk, drugged, drowsy or distracted, and to be vigilant for joggers, bicyclists, especially in areas where there are traffic cones.
