Boyfriend of Deceased Girlfriend Speaks to News Five

Nineteen-year-old Glenford Dougall recounts a tragic accident where his girlfriend, Denia Rowland, lost her life while they were returning from a football game. The accident occurred on the Philip Goldson Highway near the Sandhill Police Station. The couple was in the back of the pickup truck driven by Oscar Alexander Galindo who was reportedly under the influence. Despite Dougall’s efforts to persuade the driver to slow down, the vehicle flipped, resulting in Rowland’s death. Dougall remains admitted at the K.H.M.H. where News Five’s Hipolito Novelo spoke to him. Here is that report.

 

Hipolito Novelo, Reporting

Nineteen-year-old Glenford Dougall saw his life flash before his eyes when the Ford Ranger pickup truck he was in flipped several times.

 

Glenford Dougall, Boyfriend of Deceased

“I just saw a bright light and when I saw bright and I wake up, when I wake up, I never knew that my foot was broken. Nothing.”

 

But that wasn’t the worst of it. In Dougall’s arms, his girlfriend of one year and four months, nineteen-year-old Denia Rowland dead.

 

Glenford Dougall

“All I knew that was my girlfriend wasn’t breathing in my arms still as in the accident when I think she flew has flown out. She was in my arms. And then when I woke up, she was still in my arms. And then I was so mad and pissed and I was. I don’t know. I couldn’t help myself that night and  I don’t, I, I don’t want to ask God or judge God or anything. Right. But I just said like, why her? Why, why, why couldn’t me as well as I was with her in the accident, I was still with her. So why didn’t me as well?.”

 

The fatal accident happened on Saturday morning on the Philip Goldson Highway near the Sandhill Police Station. The couple was returning to Belize City from a football game.

 

Glenford Dougall

“She came to my house at the night and  I told her I was going to the Sandhill to watch the game. So I say, like, all your peoples are there, would you want to come too? So she said, yes, I don’t mind, baby, I will come. So then, we take her, we all went,  it was at the game. Then, our first driver, with amount of people who was in the car, we went to drop them off, and when we went to drop them off, we,  it looked like, when they drop off the first driver, the first driver was high, was drinking as well as the rest, but me and my girlfriend wasn’t drinking. None of that because I just came out of the hospital, I cannot drink, I cannot smoke. When we can drop the driver off with three female friends that he had.  So it looked like when we can drop them off, they switched driver or something like to another driver. And then we were still in the back of the pickup truck me, my girlfriend and my friend and the driver was at the front. And it seems like when we was coming back, three of us fall asleep behind the pickup truck with my girlfriend in my arms. To be honest, going when we first left from the city, the first driver was speeding like they was racing with another dirt bike. And then, my girl, she was complaining at the back, make we slow down, they slow down. So I tell my friend and we tell him we slow down. So they start slow down, they did slow down, but look like coming back home, second where we drop asleep at the back, we know the focus where it happened, and the next driver he was drinking too, he was under the influence, and look like he lose control, and the car flipped. When I woke up and I was, my girl was in my hand,  I got up. My friend was beside me that invited me to go on the trip cause he invited me and I invited my girl. He, I was talking to him and I was like, why Wilson? Why, why did you invite me? Why, why we end up to come? Why you never tell me that all of this may happen? Things like that.  And then. I’ll be honest. I did hit him out of ignorance. I hit him, but I apologized to him because it wasn’t his fault.  And then I went to the driver and I saw the driver and then I was, I was crying and I was explaining to him why, why did you do that? What happened? What was the problem? And all he did was watch me in my face, hang on his head and shake his head from side to side.”

 

On Monday, the driver, twenty-year-old Oscar Alexander Galindo was arraigned in the Belize City Magistrates where he was slapped with several criminal charges. He was charged with manslaughter by negligence, causing death by careless conduct, drove motor vehicle with alcohol concentration above the prescribed limit and negligent grievous harm. Police told reporters on Monday that Galindo was under the influence and speeding. He was offered bail of six thousand dollars which he met. Galindo must report to the Racoon Street police station every two weeks. He is expected to reappear in court on June seventh. Contrary to reports, Rowland was not pregnant. Dougall who suffered a broken right leg, says they had plans to build a life together.

 

Glenford Dougall

“To be honest, words can’t explain, sir.  I cry,  I still feel like I want to cry, I cried from the day, I cried to know, So much time I think about suicide just for me time because we’ve, I’ve, me and my girl fight, we fight for everything together. So, at this point I feel like, because she gone, I at least want the day we time to fight this too.  But everybody tell me it don’t make sense because, she what I want, I be strong, and still help out to the family and thing. But, I put it away that,  it just don’t hurt that, it just don’t hurt and, I don’t know how to let go. And I just have to because in a day, only God knows why.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Hipolito Novelo.