THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES,

plaintif
vs.
CORNELIO LOPEZ,defendant(C.A. 44 OG
584)

REPORTER:
AVILA, ANGELO N.
L4B

FACTS:

At about 2:30 in the afternoon of March 3, 1946

a girl named Dignidad Prescincula, 14 years old.
She was lighted from a passengers truck designated as Baes
No.1 and was reaching the market of the town of Banate, on the
left side of the road.
Together with another passenger Socorra Vargas the girl
Dignidad tried to cross the street.
Socorra able to reach the other side safely, but Dignidad was not
fortunate enough to do so because the truck called Solinap,
driven by defendant Cornelio Lopez, was fast and stuck and
killed her instantly.
Six to eight meters from the point of collision,causing upon her
several contusions in diferent part of her body and fracture of
her cranium which resulted her instant death.

ISSUE:

Whether or not appellant acted with

imprudence and negligence, reckless or
otherwise, while driving the Solinap truck
on said occasion, a question that tows along
subsidiary controversy of the credibility of
the witness testifying in the case.

RULING:

As to alleged the error of the lower court in not finding that

there was no fault or intention on the part of the accused of
causing the injury, the court believes that the death of
Dignidad Presicula was due to appellants fault for not
taking the necessary precautions, the circumstances
demanded from him at the time, taking into consideration
the condition of the road and the weather.
The lower court conceded, however, that he had no
intention of causing injury. But he is not accused of
international homicide but of having caused the death of
Dignidad Precincula by reckless imprudence, which implies
lack of malice and criminal intent.
The decision appealed from is hereby affirmed.

APPLIED LAW

Under the Article 365 Imprudence and negligence of the Revised Penal Code.
Any person who, by reckless imprudence, shall commit any act which, had it been intentional, would constitute a grave
felony, shall sufer the penalty ofarresto mayorin its maximum period toprision correccionalin its medium period; if it
would have constituted a less grave felony, the penalty ofarresto mayorin its minimum and medium periods shall be
imposed; if it would have constituted a light felony, the penalty ofarresto menorin its maximum period shall be imposed.
Any person who, by simple imprudence or negligence, shall commit an act which would otherwise constitute a grave
felony, shall sufer the penalty ofarresto mayorin its medium and maximum periods; if it would have constituted a less
serious felony, the penalty ofarresto mayorin its minimum period shall be imposed.
When the execution of the act covered by this article shall have only resulted in damage to the property of another, the
ofender shall be punished by a fine ranging from an amount equal to the value of said damages to three times such
value, but which shall in no case be less than twenty-five pesos.
A fine not exceeding two hundred pesos and censure shall be imposed upon any person who, by simple imprudence or
negligence, shall cause some wrong which, if done maliciously, would have constituted a light felony.
In the imposition of these penalties, the court shall exercise their sound discretion, without regard to the rules prescribed
in Article 64
The provisions contained in this article shall not be applicable:
1. When the penalty provided for the ofense is equal to or lower than those provided in the first two paragraphs of this
article, in which case the court shall impose the penalty next lower in degree than that which should be imposed in the
period which they may deem proper to apply.
2. When, by imprudence or negligence and with violation of the Automobile Law, to death of a person shall be caused, in
which case the defendant shall be punished byprision correccionalin its medium and maximum periods.
Reckless imprudence consists in voluntary, but without malice, doing or falling to do an act from which material damage
results by reason of inexcusable lack of precaution on the part of the person performing of failing to perform such act,
taking into consideration his employment or occupation, degree of intelligence, physical condition and other
circumstances regarding persons, time and place.
Simple imprudence consists in the lack of precaution displayed in those cases in which the damage impending to be
caused is not immediate nor the danger clearly manifest.
The penalty next higher in degree to those provided for in this article shall be imposed upon the ofender who fails to lend
on the spot to the injured parties such help as may be in this hand to give. (As amended byR.A. 1790, approved June 21,
1957.)