Tonight, Ocean Academy High School teacher Zane Zuniga is still in critical condition after last Friday’s accident on the Phillip Goldson Highway. Last night, we heard the heartfelt pleas of Nikita Marin, the mother of Alexander Bainton, asking the public for help. Now, Zuniga’s family is also reaching out for support through prayers and financial contributions. Zuniga was driving one of the two vans taking the team to Orange Walk for a high school regional basketball tournament. Unfortunately, the van had a blowout and overturned with twelve passengers inside. The passengers in the second van witnessed the entire ordeal. Zuniga suffered severe spinal injuries, affecting his ability to breathe. He needs surgery that isn’t available in Belize but can be done in Guatemala, costing up to fifty thousand U.S. dollars. He was being prepared for transport to Guatemala today. Another victim, seventeen-year-old Gilbert Teck, is in an induced coma at the K.H.M.H. with spinal injuries and a broken femur. News Five understands that the school arranged vans for the students’ transport. When they arrived on a water taxi in Belize, they simply boarded the vans and began their journey. The Caye Caulker community is still reeling from this tragic incident. We will continue to follow this story closely.
If you’ve ever visited the market in the nation’s capital, you might remember the food booth at the back called Miriam’s Sunrise, near the restrooms. Sadly, the friendly face of fifty-four-year-old Miriam Cordon will no longer be there to greet customers. Miriam was traveling towards Belmopan from Belize City when she was involved in a traffic accident on Monday night between miles twenty-five and twenty-six. Police have detained the driver of another vehicle and suspect alcohol intoxication played a role in the incident. News Five’s Marion Ali has more on this story.
Marion Ali, Reporting
This is what the George Price Highway looked like after two traffic accidents occurred at the same spot between 8:45 and nine p.m. on Monday night. These accidents tragically resulted in the death of fifty-four-year-old Miriam Cordon, the owner of Miriam’s Sunrise at the Belmopan Market. The first accident involved a grey Kia Soul SUV heading from Belmopan towards Belize City. As it reached between miles twenty-five and twenty-six, the driver, forty-nine-year-old Kelvin Reneau Sr., lost control, causing the vehicle to veer off the road and into the bushes. Reneau and his passengers, Aliyah Torres and Aaisha Williams, sustained various injuries. Torres and Williams are currently receiving medical treatment, while Reneau, who suffered a broken rib, is recovering at home. He told News Five that he was blinded by the bright halogen lights of an oncoming vehicle, which caused him to run off the road.
Via Phone: Kelvin Reneau, Sr.
Via Phone: Kelvin Reneau, Sr., Injured in Accident
“I di dip this person fi lower ih light, lower ih light, lower ih light and this person deh pahn wa curve. When you di drive fast pahn wa curve, you might can’t see in your lane so you might shift into somebody else’s lane. I had to slow down and shift and you know how fi we road stand – like the edge ah it nuh perfect. Soh as far as I could remember, I come offa the pavement and hit the gravel and I nuh know weh happen after that. I just feel the vehicle di flip and flip and flip.”
While police were helping the victims and processing the scene, oncoming traffic had to pull over to let the ambulance through. That’s when the second accident happened, claiming the life of Miriam Cordon. A white Ford Econoline van, driven by Leroy Nunez, was heading from Belize City to Belmopan when it crashed into the back of a parked red Chevrolet Equinox. Inside the Equinox were Cordon, Joshua Magaña, and Angel Pastrana. Cordon was so badly injured that she died on the way to the KHMH. Reneau shared what he heard while being helped at the scene.
Miriam Cordon
Via Phone: Kelvin Reneau
“By the time deh come fi me fi put me pahn the stretcher, all weh I hear da hard tires, hard tires and wa loud bang, and I hear people di scream. Dehm mi deh out deh di ait cause police have to give the okay when fi pass and there was a delay soh deh mi can’t pass. The driver who hit da person deh suppose to mi di come under speed and couldn’t slow down but there were a lot of lights soh how dehn nuh see the lights? Ambulance light, vehicle lights, hazard lights, and cones. How come da person neva see all da light.”
Magana and Pastrana are hospitalized. Two of Cordon’s friends, Coreen Rudon and Ruth Guzman, told reporters that the food court at the Belmopan Market was not the same today.
Ruth Guzman
Ruth Guzman, Friend of Deceased
“I never believe it, that she dead because I expect she fi come back well from her destination. She never mek it.”
Marion Ali
“So last week when you worked with her the last day, what was that like?”
Ruth Guzman
“She mi come out and she say ih gwein and then she dress up good and I even tell her, Miss Miriam, you look like a good, pretty gial. Ih holla to me mek I goh get the key and she gone. I tell her goodbye, I tell her, then yesterday ih say ih wa come, today.”
Miriam Cordon
Marion Ali
“You spoke with her yesterday?”
Ruth Guzman
“She talk to ih worker and ih say ih might come today, but ih never mek it.”
Coreen Rudon
Coreen Rudon, Friend of Deceased
“Me and Miriam are very good friends. I get to know Miriam around the market because she’s a business person just like me. And from the time I get to know Miriam, she’s a very kind, loving, and jovial person. Miriam was so good to us. Everyone around this market miss her so much today.”
Police have detained Leroy Nunez and are considering charges, including Driving with Alcohol Concentration Above the Prescribed Limit, Manslaughter by Negligence, Causing Death by Careless Conduct, and Driving Without Due Care and Attention. As he awaits these charges, Cordon’s friends are left with only memories of their last moments with her.
Coreen Rudon
“The last time Miriam speak to us was Thursday; ih come in here and ih dress up and ih got on a hat and everything and I tell ah, madaz gial, I tell ah, you look like Mexican. She da wa person, whenever she cook something special she wa come and seh to me, “Cor, I cook this gial and I cook black dinna and I know you love that soh I bring some fi you because you know I cook the best.” That’s how she do it, you know?”
Marion Ali
“Friendly competition?”
Coreen Rudon
“Very friendly competition, you know? She nuh stuck up with nobody, none of her workers them. If we no have food, we wa say, Mir, you got this? Or, Patty, you got this? Therese, you got? Everybody cooperated with one another, and that’s how we know Miriam, man.”
Kelvin Reneau laments that if he hadn’t been blinded by halogen lights in the first place, the tragedy would not have happened. He made an appeal for something to be done about the use of halogen lights on the highways.
Via Phone: Kelvin Reneau
“I woulda really want the government try to suppress dehn halogen lights cause when dehn light dehn pahn the highway and deh light dehn eena yoh face, ig could deh pahn low beam and ih so bright that ih could blind wa next person coming from the next direction, check.”
With the CT scan at KHMH temporarily out of service, the Ocean Academy accident victims had to turn to private hospitals in Belize City. Eighteen-year-old Alexander Bainton has already had five CT scans at a private facility. He was supposed to have another scan today, but his condition is so critical that it had to be postponed. His mother told News Five that moving him to the private hospital would mean disconnecting him from the machine that’s keeping him alive. She went live on Facebook today to share an update.
Voice of: Nikita Marin, Mother of Accident Victim
“Light a candle for Alex and pray for him. Alexander was scheduled to do a CT scan yesterday. But they postponed it. Alexander’s pressure is all about the place. He is doing really bad, and they don’t want to risk moving Alexander because it could cause more complications. It could cause a stroke or a vein to burst and more problems. So they do not want to be moving him right now. Alexander was scheduled for his CT scan today, unfortunately this morning I went in again and they postponed Alexander CT scan again. He is still not doing well. He is not in a medical coma. He is in a coma because his body has him there in a coma. As a mother it is hard. So they also cancelled Alexander CT scan for today. They told me I can go back for my money. But I don’t care about that money. It can stay right there, because I know that tomorrow my baby will get up and he will be able to take that CT scan.”
Nikita Marin is asking everyone to light a candle and say a prayer for her son. The doctors have given him just a ten percent chance of survival, but she is holding on to hope and believing in a miracle.
Voice of: Nikita Marin, Mother of Accident Victim
“Please like a candle for my baby. Pray for a miracle because miracles do happen and I do believe that Alexander will come home to me, to his family and his friends. That is all I am asking for my son. That ten percent chance that they are giving for my baby, I declare it in the name of the Lord, that Alexander will have a hundred percent recovery. Light a candle even if you are not religious. Pray to Allah in heaven, any god, I just ask for a miracle for my son to get up from that bed. He is not a bad boy. He never gives me trouble. He does not deserve this. So, I ask of you guys, message any family member, friends, anyone, light a candle for my baby, for Alexander to wake up. We need him to feel better so we can get a CT scan for him.”
The Caye Caulker Ocean Academy High School is reeling from a tragic accident involving its boys’ basketball team. On Friday, the team was on their way to Orange Walk for a regional tournament when their vehicle overturned due to a blowout. There were twelve passengers on board, mostly teenagers. Thankfully, most of them have been treated and released from the hospital. However, five students remain hospitalized, with two in a coma. This heartbreaking incident has sparked a wave of generosity, with businesses and residents from across the country contributing to fundraisers to cover medical expenses. News Five’s Paul Lopez has more on this story.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Tragedy struck the Caye Caulker Ocean Academy’s boys’ basketball team on Friday as they were on their way to represent their community. Fresh off a victory against San Pedro High School, the team was heading to Orange Walk for the regional championship when their van experienced a blowout and overturned. All twelve occupants, mostly teenagers, sustained injuries. Two of the students are currently in an induced coma, including eighteen-year-old Alexander Bainton. His mother, Nikita Marin, shared with News Five, “As a mother, my only goal is to be there for my son. We need prayers for a miracle which God is preparing for my son.” She added that Alexander, who is a fisherman, basketball player, open water certified diver, volleyball player, and honor student, did not suffer any broken bones but needs a CT scan.
The high school provided an update on Sunday night, stating that of the twelve people in the van, six were treated and released on Friday, one went home today, and five remain hospitalized. Two are in recovery, while three are in critical care, including the two in comas. The school is consulting with doctors both locally and internationally to ensure the best possible care for recovery, especially for brain and spinal injuries. The incident has sent shockwaves through the Caye Caulker community, sparking a viral fundraiser movement. Belizean-American Lee Vanderwalker launched a campaign that has already raised twelve thousand U.S. dollars for the team’s medical expenses. The community’s support is a beacon of hope during this difficult time.
On the Phone: Lee Vanderwalker, Fundraiser Director
“I saw the news story, I read that and I know some of them, I know the coach and some of the young boys on the team. I know their families and I saw a message out about eleven o’clock that night from Elizabeth Usher and she is my neighbor and I have known her for twenty-four years. She asked if I could open my accounts so fundraising could start for these boys because there were four in critical condition and they needed this money really fast.”
Vanderwalker has made it easy for donors from outside Belize to contribute by providing access to several accounts like Venmo, PayPal, and CashApp. She keeps the donor list and donation amounts updated regularly. Here’s the latest list of generous contributors.
On the Phone: Lee Vanderwalker
“Overnight several thousand dollars came in overnight. The fundraising has continued to the point now that as of last night my report was that we had raised over twelve thousand U.S an then we continue to get more donations today. So people want to help, they want to help.”
In addition to Vanderwalker’s efforts, several businesses on the island have committed to giving a hundred percent of a day’s proceeds to the fundraising effort. The Caye Caulker Town Council has kicked off its own local fundraising campaign to support the injured students. Meanwhile, the school has assured that students are receiving professional counseling to help them through this tough time.
On the Phone: Lee Vanderwalker
“Caye Caulker people really step up and help each other. I have seen this happen over and over and over again.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
Police are yet to issue an official report on the accident that occurred.
The tragic death of a motorcycle driver from Belmopan on Thursday afternoon has added to the growing list of fatal motorcycle accidents. The incident occurred around three PM in the Maya Mopan area of Belmopan and claimed the life of Carlos Romero, a young self-employed resident of the same municipality. Romero’s life was cut short due to a collision with a ten-wheeler truck. He passed away at the Western Regional Hospital just hours after the accident. News Five’s Marion Ali brings us the story in this report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Belmopan deliveryman Carlos Romero had just left home to run an errand for a customer and was on his way back to San Martin Avenue after completing the job. But tragically, he never made it back home. On St. Peter Street, just past its intersection with St. Jude Street, his red motorcycle got clipped under a ten-wheeler truck he was trying to overtake. Romero and his bike were flung under one of the truck’s right wheels, trapping them both underneath. Elizabeth Mendez, who lives near the intersection, saw Romero drive past just moments before the accident.
Elizabeth Mendez
Elizabeth Mendez, First Responder
“I see the cycle pass through my front door, to this road, St. Peter and I, I never see the truck that way down. So I suddenly I hear like the door fan back – a big noise, so I stand up on the door and when I see something red, then I say that the cycle, I just hold my head and I run over there for see what’s going on, how I could help or what?”
Mendez said that initially, Romero was not talking and she observed only minor injuries, but the situation changed when she managed to revive him.
Elizabeth Mendez
“I see the scrape on his hand.”
Marion Ali
“Was he talking?”
Elizabeth Mendez
“Yes because I asked him who we could call. You got one for number? But when I really reach him, he can’t talk, but then I do pahn ih chest, rub ih chest, and then I see that he started to talk.”
With the help of an off-duty police officer, Romero was pulled from under the truck and rushed to the Western Regional Hospital, where he sadly passed away later that evening. For Jorge Romero and his family, the accident is especially shocking because Carlos had just left home to run the errand only a few minutes earlier.
Jorge Romero
Jorge Romero, Father of Deceased
“He works from phone calls. He does errands. He finishes a run, he comes in here, parks his cycle inside here, waits for the next call, and that was his job.”
Marion Ali
“So yesterday he got a call for a job?”
Jorge Romero
“Yes, he did get a call for a job in that area. He done deliver his package, and he was coming back to his station here at home when this accident happened.”
Romero shared that, amidst his grief, he faced another setback when no one who handled his son could return his wallet and IDs.
Jorge Romero
“My son’s properties. He reached with the properties at the hospital. And yesterday they just gave me one tennis, his pants, his helmet, and some little five cents.”
Marion Ali
“And he had what all in his pocket?”
Jorge Romero
“I can’t tell you the amount what he had, but he had money with him. He always got all his money because he needs change to give customers. His social security card, his driver’s license, the insurance of this motorcycle he has it with him.”
Marion Ali
“And you didn’t get those?”
Jorge Romero
“I didn’t get those.”
Marion Ali
“Okay, so what did the hospital or the police tell you?”
Jorge Romero
“The police tell me that I’m going back to the hospital and find out what happened. The nurse at the time dehn mi change shift and she calls the other shift and dehn said that they give me his wallet, but I didn’t get a wallet.”
Marion Ali
“Did they say who they gave from the family?”
Jorge Romero
“I received it. I received the bag.”
Elizabeth Mendez believes that Romero accidentally drove too close as he tried to overtake the truck.
Elizabeth Mendez
“The truck mi di come soh and he mi want to do so to the truck (gesturing to the right) because he may think he could make it faster than the truck because piece of the cycle stay in the middle of the truck and on the side of the step where you go in through the door, right there a next piece mi deh.”
Amid a worrying rise in motorcycle accidents across Belize, two more motorists have been hospitalized after a collision at the corner of Central American Boulevard and Vernon Street in Belize City. On Thursday night, a driver speeding along Vernon Street ran a red light and crashed into another driver who was turning onto the boulevard on a green light. A video circulating on social media shows the aftermath, with one witness explaining that the collision dragged the driver across the street, leaving him unable to get up. This intersection is notorious for collisions, as drivers frequently run the red light.
In recent months, fatal road traffic accidents have tragically become one of the leading causes of death in Belize. This past weekend, the country mourned the loss of two more lives in separate accidents in the northern and southern regions. One of the victims was Elias Cowo, a resident of San Felipe, who lost his life en route to August Pine Ridge Village. News Five’s Britney Gordon brings us the details in this report.
Britney Gordon
Britney Gordon, Reporting
In late October, Elias Cowo from San Felipe was anxious to buy a new motorcycle. Little did he know, just a week later, he’d be taking his final ride. Around ten p.m., Elias hopped on his bike, heading to a party he was excited about. Tragically, he never made it. His brother, Daniel, recounts the heartbreaking events of that night.
Daniel Cowo
Daniel Cowo, Brother of Deceased
“I was at the home with my mom. She was sick. Afterward, I told her, where’s my breda? She told me she, he had left from him. He just bathe, and gone outside with the motorcycle. So I tell my mom. He will come back right now. Cause he always do that. Well, then I went to buy some stuff. Then I come back to my house. And then I leave. After that, then I come out. When I come out, I had a call from my wife. And she tell me that something happen to my breda.”
Britney Gordon
This is the road Cowo was travelling. And just before he made it to Shipyard Junction, reportedly, a drunken man entered into his path. And in an attempt to avoid him, he lost his life.
Elias Cowo
Britney Gordon
“When you got there and saw that, what was the feeling upon seeing something like that?”
Daniel Cowo
“Well, I got scared. It’s my brother, so I cannot do nothing.”
Britney Gordon
“Were there already paramedics on the scene trying to assist him”
Daniel Cowo
“No, no. There was nothing about that. Only the police officers were there. But they were waiting for, like, somebody from the family who know that that’s the body of him in there. So that’s why I was there. I reach there late though. I neva know about it. I just gone.”
Elias Cowo
Reports say the person who wandered onto the road was drunk but luckily only got minor injuries. However, Elias’ brother, Cowo, shared that Elias wasn’t wearing a helmet and might have been drinking too.
Daniel Cowo
“I think that he got an injury in his foot and his hand. But, I’m not sure what happened exactly. But my brother died in the instantly. He was going with the motorcycle. I think, when he said in person closer, he crashed with it.”
Elias Cowo
Britney Gordon
“Trying to avoid him?”
Daniel Cowo
“Yeah. And it was already close because my brother was drunk too, so we could not do nothing.”
Elias’ mother, Isabel Cowo, is taking his death the hardest. She told us that she had pleaded with him not to ride the motorcycle that night.
Isabel Cowo
Isabel Cowo, Mother of Deceased
“I am making all the arrangements right now to be able to get my son’s body, but it’s been very difficult. Everything takes a process. So far, I’ve been told we have to wait through the process to get his body. We don’t know if it will take a week or two. We dont know. We understand that it’s not only his case; there are other families as well in similar situations, waiting for updates. All I know is that I’m trying my best. To tell you the truth, I have never been through such an ordeal like this before. My husband’s death felt different. But losing my son—it’s a pain I’ve never felt before. Right now I’m feeling very hurt; I feel bad; it’s something that I think no one can really overcome alone, only with the help of God. That’s really all I can say for now.”
While Daniel admits that Elias could be a bit reckless at times, he fondly remembers his brother’s infectious, jovial spirit that lit up every room he entered.
Daniel Cowo
“He used to go out around with a lot of guys. He always goes to a party anddance and everything. He enjoy, like too much to enjoy everything, yeah. But, I always tell him, be careful for everything. You don’t know what’s going to happen to you if you go on the motorcycle and drunk. My mom doesn’t want it that way. He did buy a motorcycle, so that’s why.”
Daniel says that he is trying to be there for his mother as he attempts to process his own grief. Britney Gordon for News Five.
A B.D.F. soldier is reportedly recovering well at home after a fellow soldier accidentally ran him over two Thursdays ago at Price Barracks. The incident occurred after a social event, as soldiers were heading back to their barrack rooms for the night. According to B.D.F Commandant, Brigadier General Azariel Loria, the victim was walking back to his room and somehow fell asleep on the pavement in a poorly-lit area of the barracks.
Azariel Loria
Brig. Gen. Azariel Loria, Commandant. B.D.F.
“We were having an event at the Families’ Association Building. The events culminated at around two or so in the morning. The officer was trying to walk back to his barrack room, but for some reason he fell asleep on the road. It’s an area that is poorly illuminated and there were a slew of vehicles that were trafficking to go back again to their barrack rooms to sleep and it so happened that one of those vehicles ran him over.”
Hipolito Novelo
“How is he doing?”
Brig. Gen. Azariel Loria
“By the grace of God, he is doing well. I don’t know what he is made of but he did survive. He was run over properly by a pickup truck and he is at home recuperating. He had minor injuries only. I think that he had abrasions, minor lesions to his lungs.”
Hipolito Novelo
“But the driver of the pickup truck, was he intoxicated? Was he drinking?”
Brig. Gen. Azariel Loria
“Well, that I don’t know. I don’t know if he was drinking or not. An investigation is being conducted into that.”
Hipolito Novelo
“Is it true that his license to drive here in Price Barracks has been pulled?”
Brig. Gen. Azariel Loria
“Yes, that is my prerogative. And usually when incidents happen like that, it is standard operating procedures that whenever anyone gets into an accident, his driver’s license is suspended, depending on the outcome of the investigation.”
Hipolito Novelo
“You said usually when these incidents happen. You make it seem as though these incidents are common.”
Brig. Gen. Azariel Loria
“Nah, here in Price Barracks they are very, very isolated.”
Police are investigating two fatal motorcycle accidents that occurred in the Orange Walk and Toledo districts over the weekend.
The first incident took place in Toledo. A motorcycle collided with a pickup truck in Trio Village, resulting in the motorcycle rider’s death at the scene. First responders are investigating the cause of the accident, with no identities released yet.
The second fatality occurred on the San Felipe Road and claimed the life of 28-year-old Ellias Cowo from San Felipe Village. Reports indicate that Cowo was found lying face down in a pool of blood. Cowo was pronounced dead shortly after being transported to the Northern Regional Hospital. According to reports, the accident was caused by an elderly man, who was intoxicated, stumbling onto the road.
