And another accident - this one on the sea instead of the road - took the life of a father of four. On Saturday afternoon, 48-year-old Jose Castro went fishing in the North Channel of Caye Caulker when he was chopped by his own propeller. The injury proved to be fatal, leaving his family without their breadwinner.
Today, ASP Fitzroy Yearwood told us what the police know so far about the incident.
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, Police Press Officer
"Sometime around 1:55pm police visited the Caye Caulker Health Clinic, Caye Caulker Police visited the Caye Caulker Health Clinic, where they observed Jose Abilio suffering from a large cut wound to his ankle and thigh."
"He was transported to the clinic by passers-by in another boat who saw him, he managed to get back into his boat but apparently he had already bled out."
"It would seem that he may have feel out of the boat and got cut by the propeller off his engine. Apparently he was on that boat all alone. We know that we have interviewed his common law who indicated that he went fishing."
And his wife, Deisy Castro, said she was alerted by her neighbor that something had happened to her husband. Now, on top of grieving the loss of the man she was married to for 12 years, and the father of her children, she must now find a way to provide for them. She spoke with us earlier today.
Deisy Castro, Wife of Deceased
"She said that it hurt her because she didn't expect a news like that because he told her he is going to work to bring money home because she is sick so she had to go to Belize City to do a blood test, and he told her he is going to work hard to let her go to Belize City to take her to the doctor."
"She didn't expect it and she really got nervous and like hoarse, she couldn't take it then, she couldn't handle it. She said that she really feels sad because she never worked in her life, she just stay home and take care of the kids and stuff like that and she really loved him so that's why she feel it."
"It's gonna be hard for her to… for this situation. The kids didn't expect it because they are already used to their dad, the little boy, every evening after school, he go to look for his dad and help his dad with scraping some fish and delivering the fish to the restaurants and stuff like that."
"She said that she is going to remember him that he used to love them and every evening they used to go there to look for him and see him and he was a loving father to his kids, and a great dad."
And today, Castro was supposed to celebrate his son's 11th birthday. His other children are ages 9, 8, and 4.
The chairlady of the village commented that Castro was a hardworking fisherman, and restaurants would always be eager to buy his products.
