A 19-month-old Filipino boy died when a scarf he was wearing became entangled in the rear wheel of a motorcycle on which he was a passenger, decapitating him.
On Sunday in Laoang, Northern Samar, the boy’s grandmother, Rosita Tejano, was driving a motorcycle with Lorna Stephanie Nueva, the boy’s mother, who was carrying him in her arms as they returned from a clinic in Catarman, Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
They had taken the boy to the clinic because he was unwell. After the visit was concluded, the boy’s mother wrapped a scarf around him to protect him from the sun. As they rode towards home, the scarf became caught in the rear wheel of the motorcycle, decapitating the boy.
A post mortem examination was carried out at the Rural Health Unit in Laoang town. Witnesses said the incident happened so quickly that neither the mother nor grandmother was able to react quickly enough to save the boy’s life.
Elizar Diu, Laoang police investigator, said the boy’s mother and grandmother could be charged with “reckless imprudence resulting in homicide” under the Republic act 10666, an act providing for the safety of children aboard a motorcycle.