A Ladyville family is grieving the loss of their son, brother, and common-law husband. 30-year-old Darynl Humes was in an accident early Saturday morning; it took his life and landed two others in the hospital.
By all accounts, Humes was a hardworking father trying to build a home for his family. But all his best-laid plans disappeared this past weekend. Courtney Menzies spoke to his father:
30 year old Darynl Humes was a father of two young children who will now have to grow up without their father after he was killed in a road traffic accident. Humes was heading north on the Phillip Goldson Highway around 2:45 on Saturday afternoon when he collided with an SUV.
According to police, three people were involved in the accident, and the other two are currently hospitalized.
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
"The officers responded and upon their arrival, they observed two vehicles namely a Ford Explorer and a Ford Escape both with extensive damages. Observed in the Ford Escape was an unconscious male person who identified to be Humes. Also observed on the scene of the accident were Laura Budna and Eric Tillett both of whom were traveling on board the Ford Explorer and both of whom had injuries to their body."
"A review of the scene of the accident suggests that Humes who was onboard the Ford Escape was traveling from the direction of Belize City to Orange Walk and the other vehicle was traveling in the opposite direction. Due to the fact that the collision happened in the left lane when heading in the northern direction. It is suspected that the Ford Escape veered into the other lane resulting in the collision."
And right after the accident, it was Humes' own sister giving medical attention to the victims before she realized it was him. According to their father, she was heading up the highway when she saw the accident and decided to help.
Horace Humes, Father of Deceased
"She said something clicked in her mind so she told the officers, I'm a nurse, maybe I can assist. So the police said okay. So she drove in, got to the accident site. She said a female was out on the ground, she flew out of the vehicle, my son was okay. She said she ran to the female because she saw her right away and gave some assistance when she realized this person was in and out. And then someone said, someone is in the other car. So she ran to other vehicle when she realized that the female was alive. She said she jumped in from the passenger side and she started to take the person's pulse and everything when she realized no pulse. She touched the person's head because my son didn't have dreadlocks but he had his hair in plaits all the time. So she touched the head, when she realized it was her brother…"
"Then she called me and said Darynl dead and we couldn't believe it. His mom, like she wanted to get crazy. Common law wife, because they live here with us. He was trying to build his house, I told him, don't worry about anything, take your time, we have a big house, we have spare room and all."
And Humes' father explained that he was working hard to build that house - and his boss agreed. He said that everyone who visited only had kind words to say about his son.
Horace Humes, Father of Deceased
"Darynl was one of the guys that if you don't see him, you don't know he's around. You could have a party here and Darynl will be in a corner by himself. He was a sociable person but he had a tendency to be quiet like myself."
"He was a very friendly person, all the BATSUB people, I had visits from several of them and they were like, Darynl was a very humble person. His boss came and said he was one of the best workers. Everybody came with something really positive about him."
"First time something like this hit me so it was very hard. My daughter cried so much, my daughter's eyes are puffy. But they just went to Belize City to check the situation to do the autopsy because they don't release the death certificate until you get autopsies and all that done."
Humes' children are 4 and 5 years old.
Tillett is in stable condition while Budna is in critical condition. Police say several beverages were in their vehicle, however, ASP Smith explained that reports indicate they were taking crates of unsold drinks from an establishment. An NIP has not been served as yet.
