This is a video I honestly wish I never had to make, but it’s a reality of life here that everyone needs to hear. The Dahl Family—Jessa, Liam, and I—were involved in a scary accident while we were in San Fernando. We were just sitting in a stationary tricycle, waiting, when a motorbike slammed straight into us.
The whole thing happened in a heartbeat. One second we were just waiting, and the next, I heard the sound of a bike speeding up, followed by Jessa crying out "Mama!" in a voice full of pure terror. Half a second later, the impact hit. Because these trikes are made of heavy metal, the force of a fast-moving bike hitting us was enough to shake us all up pretty badly.
The aftermath was chaos. I looked out and saw the motorbike on the ground, its wheel still spinning at high speed. My first instinct was to stay put until that wheel stopped because I was terrified it would catch one of us as we tried to get out. As soon as it was safe, I grabbed Liam and ran him to a safe distance. Jessa followed right behind, and we just held each other while Liam, who was understandably shocked after seeing the bike coming straight for him, started to cry.
Looking at the footage I captured just 30 seconds after the crash, several things made me incredibly angry. First, it was a one-way street, and the motorbike driver was going the wrong way. Second, neither the driver nor the young boy he had on the bike with him was wearing a helmet. The driver’s behavior at the scene was also suspicious—he seemed very slow and dazed. While it could have been shock, his eyes and demeanor made me suspect alcohol might have been involved. He didn't even try to brake before hitting a parked vehicle.
Thankfully, we are all okay. The glass on the trike shattered right where Jessa and Liam were sitting, but miraculously, none of it hit them. My only injury was a small glass splinter in my foot. The boy on the motorbike was screaming and was eventually taken to the hospital by his family. I truly hope he's alright, but it infuriates me that he was put in that position by such reckless driving.
This accident is exactly why Jessa and I try to avoid public transport like trikes and buses as much as possible. We’ve driven all over the Philippines, and we’ve seen firsthand that many drivers simply don’t know or follow the traffic rules. Buses, in particular, can feel like "mass murder machines" because of how aggressively they are driven.
My advice to anyone visiting or living here is simple: if you have the option, rent your own vehicle. You are ten times safer driving yourself, even if you haven't been on a bike in five years, than you are putting your life—and your children's lives—in the hands of some of these public transport drivers. We minimize our risks, but even then, at just three years old, Liam has now experienced his first accident.
It’s a sobering reminder to always be alert. Thank you for all the concerned messages we've received. We're going to take some time to hug each other a little tighter tonight. Stay safe out there!
