The other traffic fatality happened on Holy Saturday on the George Price Highway involving 2 trucks.
Police believe that one of the drivers attempted to overtake someone in front of him, and that caused a head-on collision with the truck which was coming from the opposite direction.
Police Communications Officer Fitzroy Yearwood shared more details during this morning's press conference:
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood - Police Communications Officer
"On Saturday, the 16th [of] April, at about 9:25 a.m., police responded between miles 41 and 42 on the George Price Highway, where they saw two trucks extensively damaged. One was a freight liner driven at the time by Juan Cocom, 41 years, a truck driver of Orange Walk, who was accompanied by his wife and his daughter. And the other truck was driven at the time by Marco Tulio Aldana, 54 years, Guatemalan of Arenal Village. We know that Juan Cocom reported that he was driving his freight-liner truck when, apparently, the driver of the white box truck, Marco Aldana, attempted - well, he overtook another vehicle that was traveling in that direction, coming towards him, and caused the head-on collision. The body of Aldana was transported to the Western Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Investigators are - they have canvased the area for witnesses, and the statement was recorded by Cocom. Luckily, he received minor injuries and was treated and released. We know that notice of intended prosecution was issued to him and police have gotten blood and urine samples from both drivers, of course."
Another element of this fatal accident was the very quick cleanup that the police did. That's because the cyclists competing in Cross Country Cycling Classic were on the return leg of the race. The officers responding were hard-pressed to ensure that the accident didn't disrupt the race. Here's what Yearwood said about the criticism that the officers didn't properly capture all the evidence connected to this traffic fatality:
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood - Police Communications Officer
"The cross country was coming, and the officer has worked diligently and swiftly to clear the highway, [so] as not to cause any form of impediment of the traffic. So both trucks were removed and hauled to the shoulder off the road We want to thank the driver of an excavator that assisted us in moving these vehicles off the road. But at the same time, we cannot please the general public. If we didn't move the debris off the highway, then we would be criticized for stopping the Cross Country."
Police say that they've issued a notice of intended prosecution to the driver who survived.
