Over the weekend, a video surfaced on social media showing a vehicle crashing into the back of a flatbed truck in Santa Elena, Cayo. The impact caused the vehicle to flip onto its side, but fortunately, no serious injuries were reported. The video has since sparked debate over who was at fault, with some pointing out the slow speed at which the truck was travelling. Today, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams shared his perspective on the incident. Here’s what he had to say.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“They do have speed limits specified in the laws. I think in towns and cities it is for trucks and buses; it is fifteen miles per hour, and for other people I think it’s twenty-five miles. I’m not too sure, but there are speed limits. And I did see that that incident where the SUV clipped the rear end of a flatbed, and then eventually that matter has been dealt with by the police. Obviously, the driver of the SUV is a thug, and I believe that he has been dealt with by the police.”
Police are on the lookout for two suspects involved in a deadly crash near Mile Forty-seven on the George Price Highway Thursday night. The tragic accident claimed the life of fifty-year-old Maria Caal from Cotton Tree Village. Reports indicate that Caal was in a Toyota pickup driven by seventy-year-old Manuel Juarez, a vegetable vendor at the Belmopan market. They were exiting NEMO Drive near El Rancho when a speeding Chevy Camaro collided with them. The impact killed Caal, while Juarez was rushed to Western Regional Hospital for treatment. The occupants of the Camaro, identified as Jose and Leli Mendez, reportedly fled the scene on foot into nearby bushes. Caal, who also worked at the Belmopan market, was trapped inside the wreckage. Earlier today, News Five spoke with Samuel Cal, who shared his insights on the tragic incident.
On the phone: Samuel Cal, Son of Deceased
“I saw a message on Facebook. One of the people posted that they saw an accident happened near Mile 47 on the George Price Highway, saying that the victim was Maria Caal. So I called one of my people that I know close and I told them that something happened and my mother had gotten into an accident, and I rushed and tried my best to reach there. When I reached, a lot of cars were parked. We reached and the officers were right there doing their job. I see wah pickup bruk up and a next car was on the side of the road, but there was nobody in that car, looked like the guy ran away. So I say, “I hope it’s not my mom.” Well the guy, I told the guy that that’s my mother, Maria Caal. That is her, who was in the accident. When I gone, I saw my mom unconscious. I gone check on the other side and I asked one of the police what had happened with the other driver. He said he ran away. How? Nobody knows. Like how I said, when I reached just a little late but I still got the chance to see my mom in the pickup and then they put her in the police car and took her to Belmopan, but there was no space so they had to send her to Belize. We are really sad, my mother left seven of us, six here and one in Houston and we are really sad and don’t know what to do. We all need the people’s help because my mom was a hard-working lady, she was working at the market in Belmopan.”
The police are still investigating this tragic accident. Sadly, Maria Caal is the second female vendor from the Belmopan market to lose her life in a deadly collision in just five weeks. On December 3rd, 2024, Miriam Cordon, affectionately known as Miss Pretty, also died in a road accident on the George Price Highway.
The recent wave of fatal traffic accidents has left many families and friends heartbroken, prompting calls for better infrastructure. Last Saturday, a tragic head-on collision on the George Price Highway, between San Ignacio and Benque Viejo, claimed ten lives, including a motorcyclist who crashed into one of the vehicles. Just a week earlier, in Orange Walk District, a student from Ocean Academy High School lost his life when the van he was in suffered a blowout, veered off the road and flipped multiple times. In response, Cayo North Area Representative Michel Chebat announced on Thursday that the Benque Road will be rebuilt. Today, Prime Minister John Briceño presented the first measures the government is taking, not only to protect lives but also to support first responders who face the traumatic aftermath of these accidents.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“We also have to find whatever help we can give our first responders some kind of counseling. So I asked the Minister of Health, you know, to see what arrangements we can – and he could speak also with the Minister responsible, Minister Habet, to put some kind of program so we can help these first responders. I think it was kind of distasteful for people to hurry put up the pictures of the people that died, not how they looked, but how they looked when they were alive to say that this person is dead. And without no consideration of the trauma that the family is going through. And maybe we need to find some kind of – I hate to put it this way, some kind of legislation to prevent this kind of things from happening. In many instances you don’t even know what happened and then somebody on social media already blasts what happened and in some instances it’s not even the right information. But, I think that generally our country came together during, and still during this difficult period. But too many Belizeans are dying as a result of road traffic accidents. And too frequently, these tragedies could have been avoided if we had less reckless drivers. And we really need to see how we could tighten it so that when people know better, that if you drive under the influence and get in an accident, that we are going to come at you. In the terms of enforcement, we’ve also tasked the Ministry of Transportation to establish more around the clock – 24-hour highway surveillance, but to put more effort into At night, because most of the time it’s at night when people drive after they come from a party or they are drinking to see how we could control or stop as best as we possibly can these driving under the, under the influence. We have to amend the laws for the use of speed guns, breathanalyzers and dash cams. It will also be made to equip war officers with the requisite tools to bring offenders to justice.”
Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow, echoed much of what the prime minister said in his presentation. He emphasized the need for the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing to conduct a thorough analysis of Belize’s traffic management system to identify areas for improvement. Barrow also supported the call for stricter enforcement and holding traffic violators accountable.
Shyne Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“I believe that there should be a comprehensive study to see what more can be done from the Ministry of Infrastructure. I believe we need to move from the two-way highways and to expand the George Price. Mile sixty-eight is a perfect example of that. That should be a four-way highway. I think that’s where we need to go as far as infrastructure is concerned. Lighting is important as well, but I would agree that some of the solutions put forward by the Prime Minister seem to be headed in the right direction as far as breathalyzers, speed detectors, et cetera. I know that there was a story that there’s a bunch of breathalyzers in storage somewhere. But that all comes with a human resource, right? We need more people out there. Enforcing and enforcement has been a terrible challenge for this administration, but I do believe a comprehensive study needs to be done to see where it is a matter of enforcement, where the public needs to be held accountable and needs to be, properly, policed to ensure that they are complying with the law and what we can do as far as in expanding infrastructure, um, to make our roads more safe.”
In a heartwarming show of community support, one of the fundraisers for the families affected by Saturday night’s tragic accident has already raised over twenty-five thousand dollars. Passy Haylock, the driving force behind the “Just a Dollar Drive,” has wasted no time in distributing the funds to the grieving families. Speaking to News Five, Haylock shared that he felt a deep urge to help. After making an appeal on Facebook, the response was overwhelming in such a short period. He emphasized that this drive is far from over, as the families will continue to face expenses long after their loved ones are laid to rest.
Via Phone: Passy Haylock, Fundraiser
“When I initially made the post, I was like, you know, I don’t want you to feel pressure. In terms of providing like five by like seven, like twenty dollars or fifty dollars or a hundred dollars, just a dollar. And I was basically thinking about the population between the surrounding villages, over twenty thousand people, forty, fifty thousand if you go the villages. And I was like, if we can get donations we can help these families. I didn’t expect it to go so far, because I’ve been reached out from the people from Canada, people out in the U.S., people from England, from Guatemala, so a lot of people are actually reaching out to me, and it’s very, very overwhelming, but it’s for a good cause. And one person asked me, when am I going to end this drive, because it goes on a date that I simply mentioned to the person, but there’s no closing date when it comes to generosity and helping people. Now do factor in that there’s a lot of places throughout the leads that have come up with their own just a dollar. Campaign, and I appreciate them for that, I have a friend that has money when he comes to Zelle, there’s a GoFundMe page, so all of that money hasn’t been accounted for so there are pages in there’s the team one in Benque. I think there’s another and the funny thing is I went to the bank the other day with a big container of coins and quarters, and I didn’t know that you had to roll them yourself. Even that money is not accounted for, but don’t worry, it’s in very good hands, people will get their money.”
The tragic accident has underscored the urgent need for several measures. Families and friends of the victims are calling for stricter enforcement of traffic laws, tougher penalties for violations, and improved infrastructure on the San Ignacio/Benque road where the incident occurred. Today, Cayo North Area Representative Michel Chebat shared with us that the government has listened to these pleas. He mentioned that some of these measures will be announced as soon as tomorrow at the House Meeting.
Michel Chebat
Michel Chebat, Area Representative, Cayo North
“I don’t want to preempt our Prime Minister, but I know that he will be at the House Meeting tomorrow. He should be presenting some of the changes that we can see happening. But let’s step back for a moment. I know you referred to 2019. The Benque Viejo Road, as we call it, where this accident actually happened, is just being rebuilt. It is in the process of being rebuilt. It has not been completed and so a lot of what we need on that road have not yet been put in. The dividers, the reflectors, the signs, all of those are going to come. But unfortunately, that road is not yet completed. That is on the one side. On the other side, Marion, I think as drivers, we too have to take responsibility for our actions, and I think some education. People are calling for driver education, which I think would be very helpful to make sure that when people get their driver’s license, they actually do both the manual and the written exam so that they understand the rules of the road and so forth. Certainly, I can tell you that next week, Thursday, we are going to be breaking ground for the Contiki community police station, which is in that vicinity. And I think that that is very timely because with the formal opening of the Benque Road, the Benque Highway, the police will now have closer access to that road. It means that they’ll be able to put up more patrols in the night. They’re going to be able to put up more police stops. And they’re going to have a greater presence in that area. And certainly, it’s going to give them a faster reaction time in the event of any accidents.”
While the Cayo community has come together to support the families of the traffic accident victims, over in Caye Caulker, there’s another heartfelt fundraising effort underway. This time, it’s for the Ocean Academy High School basketball team members who were injured in an accident two Fridays ago. The tragic incident in Orange Walk claimed the life of seventeen-year-old Alex Bainton and left many others injured. However, there’s a glimmer of hope as one of the severely injured students, Gilbert Tec Junior, is showing signs of improvement. Although he’s still in a coma, reports indicate positive signs of recovery with upper body movements. Gilbert, who also suffered a severe spinal injury, and another student need surgery and intensive care. Fundraiser Lee Vanderwalker shared that while the teacher involved has already undergone surgery, the road to recovery for the students is still ongoing.
Via Phone: Lee Vanderwalker, Organizer, Fundraising Drive
“ We got the teacher to Guatemala City, he had his surgery and he’s recovering now. It’s going to be a long road for him. One of the students that originally they thought he only had a broken foot, it turns out he has like a fractured vertebrae in his spine, so he’s been accepted by the Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and while that’s an awesome thing, his parent that goes with him still has a lot of costs that has to be borne. And so, essentially, the remainder of the funds that I had raised is going towards that three to six month-trip for – the young man’s name is Javon – and for his father to go and be with him while he has spinal surgery so that he can regain mobility. Right now, he has a cast on his foot and he’s in a very serious back brace that he cannot take off. One of the reasons why Gilly’s family is really too busy to talk right now is that he’s not really come out of the coma. However, they do believe he will, and they’re scheduling surgery on his femur. So that he’ll get his femur repaired tomorrow. And then in the meantime, they’re working on getting him accepted into a treatment program in the U.S. through another one of those hospitals that accepts foreign patients, but then it’s also going to be the issue of which parent goes with him. They’re going to have their expenses to bear also. So, the fundraising is ongoing and it’s going to be ongoing for a while.”
On Monday, the family of two accident victims, thirty-year-old Jasmin Rodriguez and her four-year-old daughter, Jazelle Rodriguez, reached out to the public for help in laying their loved ones to rest. Both tragically lost their lives in an accident on the San Ignacio/Benque Road on Saturday night. Tonight, Jasmin’s sister-in-law, Maritza Rodriguez, shared with News Five that the funeral service for little Jazelle and her mom will be held on Friday morning at ten AM at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in San Ignacio.
Via Phone: Maritza Rodriguez, Sister of Jasmin Rodriguez
“ We got an immense amount of people reaching out, even the ones that couldn’t help out by giving donations, they reached out with their condolences. We thank each and every person that has helped us, even if it was just with words, you know. Those sympathetic words mean a lot in these hard times, especially since we’re the family of two. We got donations. Munnings Funeral Home reached out to us, gave us a great package for both mom and daughter, so we’re very fortunate to have had him help us and reach out to us, you know. And we had the mayor helping us out. We had everyone from the community reach out – different donations that we have started. We got different donations from all over. So like I said, we just greatly appreciate each and every person that has helped, that is still helping, and that’s just, even if it was just with the kind words that they sent, their messages, their calls, it means a lot to the family.”
We start tonight’s newscast with a heartfelt plea to drivers to be extra cautious on the roads and a call for authorities to take decisive action. The families and friends of the ten people who tragically died in Saturday night’s traffic accident are urging for measures to slow down traffic on that dangerous stretch of road. This section, known for its sharp curves, has seen multiple accidents with mass casualties. On Monday, a second candlelight vigil was held in their memory. San Ignacio and Santa Elena Mayor, Earl Trapp, emphasized that this area is notorious for fatal accidents.
Via Phone: Earl Trapp, Mayor, San Ignacio/Santa Elena
“We had an accident here in 2019 and we had six lives, six lives passed – four Belizeans and two foreigners. It’s an area that probably needs some attention and I think that maybe in the near future, the relevant authorities can look at maybe putting scrubbing board like what I had suggested on Sunday. We’re talking about the reckless driving and driving under the influence of alcohol and the government has to take more stringent measures to address this situation. The way they can address this situation is by maybe amending the laws in upgrading the penalties.”
Joining Trapp at the candlelight vigil were Area Representatives Orlando Habet and Michel Chebat. Today, Habet mentioned that several suggestions have been raised, including driver education, driving schools, and tougher fines for traffic offenses. He assured that the government is considering these suggestions.
Via Phone: Orlando Habet, Area Representative, Cayo Northeast
“Certainly from the public’s concerns, but also some suggestions in regards to making certain that the signs are visible, that there are sufficient signs indicating curbs that are coming up if there’s a merge to an area where you have to merge from two lanes into one lane, that this is clearly painted on the road and on signs to have the speed limits revisited because in town, you don’t want the big speed limits. They also had concerns about the motorists not respecting the motorbikes and also motorcyclists really taking over the road, overtaking left, right, center; the noise pollution from motorcycles. They also addressed the issue of the lighting of certain areas of the road that are really dark and maybe just outside of the town itself, certainly the issue of speed bumps where it is necessary. And those roads, trucks, which would alert you, if you are running off the road to sort of guide you back and bring you back onto the road. But basically, also looking at the issue of road traffic education, driving education. They even proposed driving schools where private sector would be able to have professionals to teach young people to drive and not letting them off with one or two months of learner’s permit and then getting a license. There were concerns that many times the fines that are imposed for violations are not high enough to deter the person who commits this offense and then it becomes a repeat offense because maybe 25 for example for a traffic offense is not sizable enough to stop them from repeating the same thing over and over. And so it was it was really open people were concerned. Of course, some blame the government and that was okay because I think that was the whole purpose for them to let out what they felt inside but I think the communication was lively it was good you and it was back and forth. So I think we took notes and today, myself and Mr Chebat and Minister Balona reported what was spelt out last night at the vigil to the Cabinet and the Prime Minister has taken note and he will also address those.”
