Drunk-driving victims planned to build life in the US

Local

FOR two and a half years, John Charles Livingstone and Criza Jean Concha waited for the paperwork that would allow them to build a life together in the United States. They finally reunited in Cebu on Sunday. By early Monday, Concha was dead.

Livingstone, 56, had spent years talking about the 27-year-old Cebuana he described as his “beloved wife,” looking ahead to the day when they would no longer have to sustain their relationship across distance, messages and calls. They believed that day was finally within reach.

But their reunion lasted only hours.

In the early hours of Monday, Sept. 21, Concha and Livingstone were walking along General Maxilom Avenue in Barangay Cogon Ramos, Cebu City, when a Toyota Fortuner veered into their lane and struck them from behind.

Concha died. Livingstone survived with injuries.

The crash happened at about 2:21 a.m. as the couple walked toward Fuente Osmeña, according to the Cebu City Police Office Traffic Enforcement Unit (TEU)

CCTV footage from the Cebu City Government's Eagle Eye surveillance system showed the vehicle crossing into the opposite lane before hitting the pedestrians.

Police identified the driver as Ralph Anthony Go, 26, who was taken into TEU custody. An alcohol breath test returned a positive result, and police said he would face charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and physical injuries, as well as a violation of Republic Act 10586, or the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013.

Livingstone, however, said the crash has become inseparable from the future he and Concha had spent years preparing to build.

In a statement posted after Concha's death, Livingstone said they had been celebrating finally being together again after months of communicating mostly through their phones.

He said they had been looking ahead to Concha's eventual move to the United States and to the life they expected to build there.

Livingstone later clarified details of his initial account after reviewing the CCTV footage. He acknowledged that he had initially believed the vehicle had backed up before running over Concha. The footage, he said, showed otherwise.

He said the front wheel had already gone over Concha as the vehicle came to a stop before the driver moved forward again.

The police investigation has also relied on CCTV footage in reconstructing the crash. Authorities said the vehicle briefly stopped after hitting the couple before continuing toward the Fuente Osmeña area.

Concha was brought to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), where she was declared dead on arrival. Livingstone was also taken to the hospital for treatment.

In his posts, Livingstone repeatedly returned to the future he and Concha had imagined.

He had spoken about her for years to people back home who had never met her. He said friends and family had followed their relationship and looked forward to meeting her once she could join him in the United States.

That possibility, he said, had felt close.

Instead, he found himself in Cebu arranging for her remains to be returned to her family and preparing for her funeral.

He has since announced plans for a gathering in October in memory of Concha, inviting people who knew him, supported their relationship or simply wanted to be there.

He described it as a chance not only to remember Concha but also to bring people together in the aftermath of her death.

He has asked for hugs, human connection and company.

Police said Go remained in TEU custody as authorities prepared the charges against him. The case involves reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and physical injuries, along with a possible violation of the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act based on the positive alcohol test.

Livingstone has said he intends to pursue the case.(TGP)