Fortunately no one was hurt today as the result of a bizarre freak accident in Belize City. Without warning, at 9:30 this morning a lamppost snapped in its center and crashed down to the ground. It fell on a van parked at the Belcan taxi stand which is adjacent to the Save-U Plaza. The upper part of the post was on fire and that fire spread to the van. It was quickly brought under control but the still very shaken van owner, taxi man Ernest Martinez told us he feels lucky to be alive.
Ernest Martinez,
"I was over there and suddenly I heard 'blam' and I looked and I saw
it. Me and another man, Mr. Eligio, was there. I don't know where he got to because when I looked I saw smoke. The smoke broke from the top and it looked like it was burning from inside and it couldn't hold up the weight so it just let go. That is what went on."
Jules Vasquez,
How close were you to the area?
Ernest Martinez,
"We usually stand up right here so if we were here we definitely would have been dead because do you see the weight on that thing. We would have definitely been dead. It's a good thing that when you left your house you always ask God to protect you. I think if I didn't pray this morning I would have been a dead person today. Once you pray to God he always takes care of you and so I don't worry about my van, I worry about me 'cause I have a family to mine."
At news time, BEL lines crews had replaced the lamppost but technicians could not determine what caused the fire inside the old one. They have confirmed however that it was not an act of sabotage.
