Mother Dies in Car Accident, Daughter and Grandchildren Survive

A fatal road traffic accident has claimed the life of yet another Belizean. Over the weekend, sixty-four-year-old Melva Myers was travelling with her three grandchildren on the George Price Highway.  Behind the steering wheel was her daughter, Tiffany Licona, who was headed toward Belize City. Reports are that after overtaking a pickup truck around mile fourteen, Licona lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a fence on the other side of the road. Licona and the three minors escaped grave injuries, Myers, however, succumbed to her injuries on the scene. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with more details.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

The death toll from fatal road traffic accidents across the country continues to climb at a staggering rate. On Saturday around seven-thirty a.m., sixty-four-year-old Melva Myers was being driven to the Philip Goldson International Airport by her daughter, Tiffany Licona.  Along with them were Myers’ grandchildren, ages eleven, nine, and five years old when Licona reportedly lost control of the vehicle around mile fourteen. From all indications, Myers who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, was flung from the vehicle, and suffered severe head and body injuries. She was scheduled to fly to the U.S. for an annual medical checkup. Selvyn Myers tells us that he began to feel uneasy when his mother failed to answer his calls that morning.

 

Selvyn Myers, Son of Deceased

“This all started when I was at work. I was at the the booth by Belcan. And I left the night before and I kissed her on the forehead and I said I love you momma and she said I love you more son. I seh I wa hike from Belama tomorrow when I come off work. I wahike fi see you ketch the iron bird. But in the morning, I neva call and ask nothing. I she I noh wa go that airport to early because from Belama to the airport very short. Soh I seh I ih deh  call ah and see how far ih deh so I could make my way there because I ony need half an hour the most. So I call her phone and I get no response. So I call my sister phone, I get no response either. Then I felt so funny, I felt so bad. I had to sit down. And Ieven had to pray much harder.”

 

After another attempt to reach his family, Myers’ niece answered the phone and informed him that they had been in an accident. He rushed to the scene in cab and was met with the grisly sight of his mother laying on the ground motionless.

 

Selvyn Meyres

“I di tell taximan go as fast as you could sir please. Just drive as fast as you could because I noh want my ma inna sun hot di tek lick cuz I no know how badly ih get hurt. When I reach, I see my sister sitting down and she was band upp on the left side. I then I get a glimpse pf my mom laying by the vehicle by the fense. And I run there and I try to do chest compression or cpr. I pray for a pulse or something. I tap her foot bottom and somebody she your momma died already breda. I saw that they had like a lee sweater thing over my momma face and I lift it up and see like froth from her mouth. And I just start to cry and cry because. I should have meet her at the airport.”

 

The family was transported to the KHMH where Melva was pronounced dead on arrival. Licona sustained injuries to the left side of her body and underwent surgery today. The three minors were not seriously injured. According to her son, Myers was blind in one eye and losing vision in the other, often requiring assistance to get in an out of vehicles.

 

Selvyn Meyres

“When I am at home and my mom would get in any vehicle, I would gi and fix the seatbelt for her personally. I will even escort her to the vehicle to se that nih fall because she is totally blind in one eye. She has a small percentage in the other but she beleice that she could do everything alone but I noh trust it. I tell ah I noh want you fall momma so I hold her hand and I will take her all the way from here to the vehicle there. And if she go out late, I wa plug out the light and plugh it in right by the corner there so she could see and even go meet ah. And put on her seatbelt. The way I see it, my momma was thrown from the vehicle. You understand?”

 

More heart wrenching for Myers was the way in which his mother died. For as long as he could recall, his mother had been terrified of traffic accidents.

 

Selvyn Meyres

“What even pain me more because my momma, she fear the road really bad. She noh like hear about accident/ That da how soft she soft. I tell she about some traffic accident  ah when I gi pan the scene and because I have twenty-three years inna the police department also and I go pan some real tragic scene. She woulda she noh tell mi bout it son. I ketch coldseed. So ewhen I saw yer out there like that just make my heart just drop because I she the same thing  that my poor momma fear. That’s the thing that took he life.”

 

Myers says that his mom was the most outstanding person he ever knew. He recalls times when she would go out of her way to assist the less fortunate; such as a family in need of a wheelchair for a young daughter.

 

Selvyn Meyres

“My mom said I know  a lady who have a wheelchair to give away son. I will talk toi the lady and I will take the wheelchair to the little girl momma. I sah mein my momma not even hundred percent healthy like that. But I neva get bex. I see ah up and odwn, up and down dig try with this wheelchair. But I can tell you , my momma was and is and will always be the best. Who want tell you the truth about my momma could tell you that Melva Elizabeth Myeres was a wonderful human poan the face of this earth.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.