It connects the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena but this morning the wooden bridge over the Macal was the scene of a fatal traffic accident.
Police say that around 2:15 this morning 21-year-old Darwin Pate was driving his Honda from San Ignacio enroute to Santa Elena when he encountered trouble while attempting to cross the bridge. He told police he lost control of the vehicle and it flipped and ended up in the river.
In the car with pate was 20 year old Kimberly Curtiss and 18 year old David Fernandez and all three were trapped inside the vehicle. Fernandez was able to get himself out and he later helped Curtis out but they weren't so lucky with pate. He was trapped and apparently drowned. Police don't suspect foul play.
Meanwhile on San Pedro an 8 year old boy was killed when he entered the path of a construction truck. Around 11 am, 42-year-old Eladio Balam was driving a forklift in the area of the airstrip when an 8 year old on bike boy stepped in front of him.
Balam claims the boy tried to overtake him in a narrow alley. The child's bike handle touched a wall causing him to lose control. The boy fell over the bike and hit his head on the forklift. He was taken to the Lion's Clinic where he later died. Balam has been detained pending investigations.
