For most Belizeans, good weather ensured that it was a great holiday weekend - but on the roadways - it was positively deadly! Almost every single day of the long weekend saw a road fatality! It started at around midnight on Friday March 9th.
26-year-old Virgilio Chuc Jr. told police that he was driving his cane truck from Tower Hill towards Corozal Town when he felt an impact behind his truck as he reached an area between mile 60 and 61 on the Northern Highway. When he made checks he found a gray Ford Escort with extensive damages behind his truck. The driver identified as 26 year old Otilla Elgia Quintanilla of Orange Walk Town died instantly as he was crushed inside the small car. Police are investigating to determine if the cane truck had all lights properly working.
On Saturday night sometime around 8 police were called out to an area on Burns Avenue in San Ignacio where they found 57 year old Daniel Garcia lying on the ground apparently dead.
42-year-old bus driver Antonio Chan told police that he was driving a National Transport Bus from San Ignacio toward Benque when coming out of the Savannah area of San Ignacio to Burns Avenue he was informed that he had knocked down a man who was trying to catch the bus. Chan has been served with a notice of intended prosecution while investigations continue.
At around the same time also on Saturday another man was also involved in an accident this time on San Pedro. Police responded to reports of an accident in the Mar de Tumbo area in the town where they found a man lying on the ground near an overturned ATV.
Investigations reveal that 34-year-old Elsworth Sutherland was driving when he lost control of the vehicle crashing into a nearby fence. He sustained serious head and body injuries and was airlifted to the KHMH where he is being treated.
And in the final fatal traffic accident. At around 6 on Monday evening police were called to an area between miles 2 and 3 on the Northern Highway. There they found 22 year old Joel Lodge who told police that he knocked down a woman as she attempted to run across the road.
He says he was heading from the Belama area toward Belize City when 50-year-old Solangel Hulse ran across the road and he hit her. She sustained severe head and body injuries, was transported to the KHMH but died before reaching there.
Hulse will now be charged with manslaughter by negligence, causing death by careless conduct and driving without due care and attention.
