Technical Engineer Paul Evans Killed in Freak Accident

Over the festive weekend, a resident of Ladyville lost his life after he was run through by a length of steel.  Paul Evans was a career technician who established himself several decades ago as the go-to engineer in radio and television broadcasting.  He may not have been known to the public, but his diligent work in the background ensured that the signals for many of your favorite radio and television stations stayed on.  On Saturday, Evans’ lifeless body was discovered at his home near Perez Road.  He had reportedly fallen from a veranda onto a jutting rebar below and was impaled in the process.  Here’s News Five’s Isani Cayetano with the tragic story.

 

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

Paul Evans was a towering figure in radio and television, standing shoulder to shoulder with the legendary personalities who have etched their names into the records of broadcasting history in Belize.  He made his name by being the technical mind behind most of what you heard and saw over the airwaves.

 

Luis Sosa, Technician, Channel 5

“When I heard the news I was actually on my way to Orange Walk for the carnival and I had just passed Ladyville and I got a call from a colleague of mine telling me about the tragic accident that happened at his home.  I was very shocked to hear that from my colleague because I had just spoken to Paul in the week before it happened and I was very shocked to hear that bad news that happened to him.”

 

Evans was at his home in Ladyville over the weekend and was having a few drinks, when he reportedly fell from a second-floor veranda, impaling himself on a piece of steel that was jutting out of the concrete below.

 

ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division

“On Saturday, September twenty-first, police visited a house at Ladyville Village where they saw the lifeless body of Paul Evans with an injury to his abdomen.  Information is that he had been drinking and when police visited the area they saw him with a piece of steel in his abdomen.  Police are investigating the circumstances of what transpired.”

News of his death sent shockwaves across the industry, particularly among other seasoned technicians and cameramen.  Videographer George Tillett began his career working under Paul Evans.

 

George Tillett, Cameraman, Channel 5

“We started out as coworkers in the mid to the late eighties at the Broadcasting Corporation of Belize.  We were technicians for the radio, that was Radio Belize AM and Friends FM and we both worked as repair technicians.  I was second to him, he was the main technician at that time and Paul was very efficient at what he did.”

 

His contributions were as impactful and enduring as those of the most celebrated icons in the industry.  He was responsible for bringing a young Luis Sosa to Channel 5 in 1998. A few years earlier, they were also working at Radio Belize together.

 

Luis Sosa

“He actually got me the job at Channel 5.  He had pushed me to get the job along with Stewart Krohn and that’s where I started working with Paul.”

 

Isani Cayetano

“What can you tell us about Paul, as someone you knew very well?”

 

Luis Sosa

“He was very skillful with his job.  He was one of the few broadcast TV engineers in Belize.  He knew his job very well when it comes to TV broadcast transmitters and stuff like that.  He use to help us with repairing and installation.  He did that Channel 5 and anytime I needed help to d repairs on the transmitters or antennas, he would be there for me and side-by-side, we worked together to get it done.”

 

According to ACP Hilberto Romero, despite no tell-tale signs of a crime being committed, police are still investigating the incident.

 

Hilberto Romero

“This piece of steel is attached to the ground and it appears that he fell on that piece of steel.

Paul Lopez

“Any cause for suspicion of foul play?”

 

Hilberto Romero

“Not at this time but an investigation is being carried out.”

 

In July 2007, thieves hit a Channel 5 transmission site on the George Price Highway and stole several feet of copper wire from that facility.  In that story, we interviewed Paul Evans.

 

Reporter

“At the Channel 5 transmission site, engineer Paul Evans estimates that twenty-five feet of cable was damaged.”

 

Paul Evans, Engineer (File: July 30^th, 2007)

“They haven’t taken any of the electrical equipment.  They haven’t taken it; it’s just basically that.  They didn’t touch any of the transmitting equipment, I mean, the only way we found out that this had happened over the weekend was that in the process of pulling the brackets off the wall, they disconnected the cable and we had an off-air situation in Dangriga which is fed from here and that’s how we found out.”

 

Evans, by all accounts, was virtually singular in what he has done for radio and television broadcasting in the country.

 

Luis Sosa

“He was one of the pioneer engineers in the country.  I’m sure he would have done a good job in transitioning our station to digital TV.  He was about to approach a project for us and unfortunately, he’s not here again with us.”

 

Isani Cayetano for News Five.