It was a routine drive up to his workplace for Celso Funez this evening, something he's done routinely, perhaps for years, but that all changed in an instant when what he calls a mechanical malfunction of his vehicle pushed him into a near-death experience.
This evening we found him bewildered standing on the side of the road, trying to salvage the Honda CRV that could have cost him his life:
Celso David Funez - Accident Victim
"Ma'am's I just was driving from Belize City and coming at 8 miles and when I got in front of the Chinese store my steering just locked up on me and the vehicle just took a right and when I tried to maneuver it I couldn't do anything and I just found myself ending up in the ditch here, without no drinking without no, you know. I just all it a mechanical problem with the vehicle because I don't know what happened."
Cherisse Halsall
"The vehicle took a right?"
Celso David Funez
"Yes, alone the steering just locked up on it's own so there wasn't anything I could do. I almost slammed into a Sand truck and I avoided that thank god that I avoided that and it happened on this side here because I would not have been here to tell you what happened. My key is still in the ignition, the vehicle is still on and electronic things are still on, I can't get out the key or anything, I've been left confused. I don't know what happened up until now. I left lost. The officers they came out here for their statement and did what they had to do and thing, and the advice that they gave me was try not to leave the vehicle out here, try to get it from here because they might come and thief things off of it. It just frightened me."
Cherisse Halsall
"What are those emotions in the moment when you feel that car shifting off the road?"
Celso David Funez
"First thing, my mind went on my kids, it happened so fast, I don't want it happen to nobody because it is a frightening experience and I think god to still be out here and no get serious hurt because those are material stuff, you can always get back another one but you can't get back a life."
Police on the scene asked Funez whether he wanted a medico-legal form. He said he hit his head in the accident and bystanders urged him to get checked out in case it turns out to be a concussion.
