HUDSON Medina learned to drive early and got his driver?s license at 18. Since then, he has not stopped steering the wheel, be it the family-owned owner-type jeep, Toyota Innova, or his recently acquired motorbike Kawazaki Fury 125.

Medina, 25, married with three kids and unemployed, has already figured in four road accidents in six years, all brought about by drunk driving at night. Two of his accidents went unreported.

In 2002, he was driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) with 10 passengers while cruising along Crossing Mendez, Cavite. His jeep crossed a newly asphalted road, causing it to glide and take a 90-degree turn toward a canal.

?Apparently, the asphalt was still wet but there were no road signs warning drivers that the road was off-limits to motorists,? Medina said.

Bruises

The jeep hit and damaged the water pipes. All passengers turned out fine, suffering minor bruises and bumps in different parts of the body.

In 2003, he was driving alone along Buna Cerca, Indang, Cavite, when he hit a 24-year-old man walking down the side street.

The victim and his two companions scampered upon seeing the wayward vehicle. The companions survived unscathed. Tipsy Medina, scared and in shock, drove away and went straight home. Policeman arrested him hours later.

?The label ?Robby? (name of Medina?s youngest sister) on just above the windshield of the vehicle made tracking me easy. I owned up to my mistakes. Nobody wanted it to happen. I did not mean to hurt anybody,? Medina said.

Stitches

He spent a day behind bars. The victim?s family did not press charges but demanded P50,000 as payment for damages, exclusive of the P16,000 spent for the victim?s hospitalization, primarily stitches for cuts on his back.

His second accident in 2004 was triggered by drunkenness as well. He hit a parked jeepney on Tambong Ilaya, Indang, Cavite. There were no casualties but the impact caused dents in the jeepney?s fenders. The altercation that followed with the jeepney?s owner was settled at the barangay level and no charges were filed. His parents paid the driver P14,000 for the damage.

The owner-type jeep was eventually sold, probably to shoo away bad luck and spare the parents more anxiety. The family later bought a brand-new Toyota Innova.

Medina?s last accident in 2008 took place under more complicated circumstances. Two intoxicated friends on a borrowed motorbike invited him for a midnight snack in the town proper.

Drunk, no helmet

Medina, who had also come from a drinking spree, obliged and drove with his two pals without a single helmet to boot.

The accident happened when he overtook a jeepney but failed to veer back to his left. This bad turn caused them to alight separately and make a bad fall. They lost consciousness upon hitting the ground. The motorbike?s headlights and gears were damaged.

By sheer luck, all of them survived. Amid bumps, cuts and bruises, Medina was fortunate without head injuries and broken limbs. A total of P7,000 was spent for stitches, medicines and anti-tetanus vaccines for all three of them. He has recuperated since.

Despite the scar on his face and the financial burden on his parents, he continues to drive the Fury. The owner refused to accept the damaged motorbike and was paid P15,000. The motorbike, originally worth P58,000, was turned over to him including its payment on installment basis, which he shoulders to this day.

His mother Magdalena Medina said: ?I always feel nervous every time he goes out. He reaches far-flung places. I?m afraid he?ll figure in another accident.?

Hudson has no plans of giving up the motorbike, but has vowed not to drink and drive, at least for now. Mary Ann Ayos