And Banner wasn't the only one who faced charges today. 55-year-old drunk driver Jermano Bol was arrested for manslaughter by negligence, causing death by careless conduct, drove motor vehicle without due care and attention, drove motor vehicle with alcohol concentration above the prescribed limit, and negligent grievous harm.
And that slew of charges came after he rammed into a pickup truck with 27-year-old Samuel Pop in the driver's seat in Cotton Tree Village on Sunday. Pop succumbed to his injuries and his common-law wife, who was in the vehicle at the time, said that they actually saw Bol's vehicle swerving and decided to pull off to the side of the road - but even that didn't protect them from the drunk and out of control driver.
Now, his wife - who has been with him for the last six years - says she still can't believe he is no longer with them. She spoke to us today:
Brenda Lara, Common Law Wife
"I was in the accident with him, we were coming from Benque, from the border, we went to drop my grandma, we passed Belmopan, he took me out to dinner, he said let's go have some dinner, then we headed home, we were going to pick up his brother to drop him at his house and when we reach by children's home we saw this vehicle coming like swerving on the road and the man, he was drunk, and he said babe, I'll just pull on the side because that man is drunk and he was going off the road and when I felt, I just gone blank and when I woke up my little brother was taking me out of the vehicle and I saw Sam on the other side and he was trapped in the vehicle, he couldn't come out. I tried to take him out but some people reach and told me not to because he was still breathing slightly, I was talking to him, he was bleeding from his ears, his nose, and he just [deep breath] and the young lady from Cotton Tree, she assisted me, she said he's still breathing, the ambulance took long, it took like about fifteen minutes to reach, when the paramedics reach, they told me he had already passed away. I was hugging him, he was in my arms when he passed away. Up to now, it's unreal because everyone that knew Sam, knew he was a loving person, he loved kids, and for him to go just like that, it hurts a lot knowing that we won't be able to see him again, it really hurts."
"Right now, we still can't believe it, it's unreal, the night when I reach home, I reached home around 3 in the morning because I didn't want to be there and the man was right beside me, the man that caused the accident, I didn't want to see him and he was talking to me like nothing had happened and saying if we need any monetary help, but I don't need his money, I just want Sam to come back with me and he won't be able to do that."
Lara says they had plans to build their house in Armenia - where Pop will be laid to rest. He left behind no children.
