And while that accident claimed Safira Teul's life, two others would pass away in similar tragic circumstances in the north. Around 9:00 on Saturday night, Steve Grant and Ariani Chan were traveling in two separate vehicles. Ariani was returning from church in Concepcion Village and travelling toward San Roman in a red van driven by her pastor Eliseo Chan. Grant and his group were traveling in the opposite direction from San Roman toward Lousiville in a vehicle driven by his brother Alexander Chan.
And just then Grant's brother attempted to overtake the vehicle driven by Chan and upon doing so, allegedly swerved to his left to avoid colliding into, the red van and at the same time Eliseo Chan swerved to his left to avoid a direct collision. But it was too late the grey van hit, the red van.
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, Communications Officer
"The occupants in the Corozal van were 13 persons believed to have been returning home from a church service, the occupants, there were three persons in the other van and we can tell you that they received multiple injuries, I will send their names to you because it is 13 persons, we know that the age ranges from a six-year-old to."
"I know from the Corozal van we had an elderly lady that passed away. Arianna Chan was complaining of pain all over her body and passed away around 10:01 pm while receiving treatment also at the Corozal community hospital."
"We do have a deceased from each vehicle, the lady that sustained injuries and passed away from the van, we know that Steve Grant passed away from the Dangriga licence plate van where he suffered head and body injuries and he passed away around 11;35 while receiving treatment at the Corozal community hospital."
"I know that they have established that the cause of this accident is the van with the Dangriga licence plate was overtaking the other van at that time when it collided with the Corozal licence plate van."
"Means the front van may have swerved or he may have swerved into it but the point is that he was the one to initiate contact because he was overtaking. So I know that he has been served with a notice of intended prosecution but with traffic accidents, it takes a while to investigate properly and we don't usually rush to do charges until we are completely certain. Of everything that we need to charge for."
Victims of the accident range from a six year old boy who sustained bodily injuries to the to 71-year-old Arriani Chan who succumbed to her injuries shortly after the collision.
