By The SUN
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| Abunda (center) celebrated her 46th birthday with friends one day before the tragedy |
A Filipina domestic helper remains in coma at Queen Mary Hospital tonight, 36 hours after being hit by a taxi
which ran out of control in Aberdeen
Marilou P. Abunda, who celebrated her 46th
birthday only on Thursday, May 23, was reportedly conscious when taken by
police to the hospital, but immediately lapsed into a coma on arrival.
Welfare officer Marivic Clarin who visited Abunda at the
hospital only a few hours ago said medical personnel were hesitant to give out
information about the patient’s condition but the prognosis did not appear good.
“Pinatingnan naman sa amin pero ayaw magsalita ng mga
nurses. Kinalbo na siya dahil may brain hemorrhage,” said Clarin. However, she
was not sure if this was in preparation for an operation.
Clarin also said Abunda’s friends had told her the victim
sustained the most injuries because she had apparently tried to shield an
elderly woman from the runaway taxi.
Abunda’s friends were especially disconsolate because just a
day before the tragic accident, they had joined the victim in celebrating her
birthday at their hangout in Central.
According to Elenita Rubello, Abunda’s friend and townmate
from Hilongos, Leyte , the celebration was
simple but fun, with the group sharing food they had prepared and taking photos
with the celebrator before parting ways in the evening.
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| TV video of the carnage in Aberdeen, shows Abunda (in white) lying in a pool of blood |
Little did they know that tragedy would strike just a few hours after their fun get-together.
Abunda, who has been separated from her husband for years
and is childless, has been working for her employer, Chris Lee and his family,
for the past 16 years.
Clarin said Lee has been looking after Abunda well, hardly
leaving her side while working on getting her relatives fly to Hong Kong as soon as possible to comfort her.
With help from the Consulate and the Philippine Overseas
Labor Office, Lee had managed to issue an invitation letter to Abunda’s
sister-in-law Jocelyn and niece Loriepel so they could fly out to Hong
Kong immediately to be by the helper’s bedside.
Lee reportedly told Clarin that Abunda had just taken his
younger daughter to her school and was waiting to cross a second pedestrian
lane near their home when the accident happened.
Photos from the scene of the crash show the steel pole with
the traffic light at the pedestrian crossing landing partly on Abunda’s body,
and her head resting atop a pool of blood.
Another woman lay unconscious beside her, while an elderly
woman is on her other side, sitting up and apparently unharmed.
A police spokeswoman told The SUN that a total of seven
people were injured in the crash, which happened at the junction of Aberdeen Main Road Aberdeen Reservoir Road
 |
| The taxi came to a halt on the opposite side of the road after hitting pedestrians at the junction crossing |
The injured were all taken to hospital, including the 70-year-old
taxi driver, who suffered head injuries.
Two women, including Abunda, were admitted in critical
condition.
According to the spokeswoman, Abunda was conscious at the
scene, and “claimed she had injury on her head.”
Media reports said the driver apparently lost control of his
vehicle while going down Aberdeen Main Road
However, police said no arrests have been made, and their
investigation is continuing.
Rubello said she and her friends only learned about the tragedy
late last night, when she saw a message sent from Abunda’s phone saying: “This
is Malou’s boss. Pls call me. Urgent.”
Rubello immediately returned the call and learned the sad
news. Early this morning, it was passed on to Rodelia Villar, founder of the Domestic
Workers Corner online group, who immediately contacted the Consulate and The
SUN to get help.
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