A traffic mishap on the Northern Highway has left a Police Constable and his little sister dead and another constable and 8 civilians injured.
At around 8:10 on Sunday morning a car and a pickup had a massive collision between miles 37 and 38 on the Northern Highway. The car driven by Police Constable 1017 Edwin Perrera was heading toward Orange Walk Town while the pickup being driven by Hilberto Aguirre was traveling to the city.
When the vehicles collided, Constable Pererra was crushed while his little sister Olive Martinez who was sitting behind him was launched violently forward and both of them died instantly. The passenger in the car, Police Constable Adrian Mendez received head injuries including a major wound to his eye.
In the other vehicle, Aguirre had 7 San Lazaro Villagers as passengers in the bed of his pickup. They are: 27-year-old Michelle Carillo, 27 year old Magaly Vasquez, 7 year old Vicky Vasquez, 7 year old Brandon Vasquez, 46 year old Martin Vasquez, 18 year old Julian Vasquez 45 year old Manuela Ical and 24 year old Yari Vasquez who is six months pregnant. All but one of them had to be hospitalized with varying degrees of injury.
All of them have since been released except 46-year-old Martin Vasquez. He and 18-year-old Constable Adrian Mendez remain in stable condition at the KHMH. Today Commissioner of Police Gerald Westby visited the KHMH where the
teenage constable is being treated. He discussed the accident.
Gerald Westby, Commissioner of Police
“Its very unfortunate that we have this mishap and I want to first of all extend my condolences to the Pererra family and we the police really the loss whenever we loss one of our own because police men are so critical to society. And I also want to sympathize with the victims from the other vehicle also. We know what it is to get people hurt in accidents so we also want to sympathize with the family of the other vehicle.”
Alfonso Noble,
How does the department deal with it in terms of when an officer is injured. What is the protocol that you all follow?
Gerald Westby,
“Well it depends. Like any other accident or injuries we try to assist as much as we can. But you need to differentiate when they are on duty or off. But notwithstanding we try to help as much as we can.”
Alfonso Noble,
Information reaching us is that you all are having problems presently with the Medical Associates, you can’t take officers there because there is a mounting bill and nobody’s paying. Would you clarify?
Gerald Westby,
“Well medical care is expensive and that is why we are trying to promote programs where officers can access health services in a collective manner because there are certain times when we can assist and there are other times because of the expense of the medical care we have to lean on Social Security if they are on the job. But if they are not on the job, then it becomes difficult but we try to assist as best as we can.”
27-year-old Police Constable Edwin Pererra was serving in Cayo. He passed out in 2003 and has been in the Department one year and 7 months. He came to the Police Department as an emergency medical technician. We interviewed his little sister, 9-year-old Olive Martinez when she won the lower division of junior national finger spelling bee in May of this year.
