Tonight, another child is in the KHMH, seriously injured when she was knocked down on the Western Highway by an Argentinean driver. But this is not the case of an underage, unsupervised child wandering carelessly unto the road, this 10 year old girl was chased onto the road by a half naked Creole or East Indian man.
It happened just before mid-day yesterday when Salvapan resident Joanna Coc, along with a friend also named Joanna, were walking along the Western Highway from Camalote Village to Roaring Creek. Joanna's father Carlos Coc told us what happened.
Carlos Coc, Father
"They attempted to cross the street, that is what I understand, and that is when she was knocked down by the vehicle. I don't know how far away from the street she was, or far away from the edge, when this thing happened. But they are saying that there was a man who was running behind them, a guy without a shirt, I think he is of Creole descent or East Indian descent or something like that, and I think that is what made the girl's frightened."
Keith Swift,
So they were chased into the middle of the highway?
Carlos Coc,
"That is what I understand. I haven't seen it. The little girl told me there was a man who was following them and they became afraid, thinking that this guy wants to hold them or rape them or something like that, so they attempted to cross on the other side of the street and that is when the vehicle knocked Joanna down."
Keith Swift,
What is Joanna's condition?
Dr. Giovanni Lara, Neurosurgeon
"The condition is stable. She is not critical at this moment. Today she is stable, she has good response to the treatment; both medical and surgical treatment. It is good response to today."
Carlos Coc,
"To me when I was in Belmopan, I was speaking to the guys who knocked down my child. I wanted to talk to them and his wife came to me and told me that they cannot talk to me, I have to talk to their lawyer. that is what she told me."
The driver of the car that knocked down Joanna is Argentinean Domingo Daniel Mendez. He has been charged with driving without due care and attention, and negligent grievous harm. His first court appearance was supposed to be today. Because Mendez is not a Belizean, police say they will require him to surrender travel documents. Mendez is helping some with Joanna's mounting medical bills but the family is still appealing for assistance. You can reach them at any of the following numbers: 809-2007, 621-9369, or 802-0319.
