Central Transit Bus Overturns; 30 Passengers Injured

In a harrowing incident this morning, shortly after six o’clock, a Central Transit Bus overturned on the Philip Goldson Highway, leaving thirty passengers injured. The victims, including children, were swiftly transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for urgent medical attention. The K.H.M.H. sprang into action, activating its mass casualty protocol to treat the victims. The accident has raised serious concerns about speeding, road safety, and the condition of public transportation vehicles. Here’s Isani Cayetano with that story.

 

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

This morning, speeding and reckless driving led to a commuter bus careening off the road and overturning near mile six and a half on the Philip Goldson Highway.  Onboard were over thirty passengers, including Ashanti Can, a teacher at Holy Redeemer School. Can and her children were on their way to Belize City from Lord’s Bank, comfortably seated at the back of the bus.

 

Ashanti Can, Accident Victim

“When we reached at Manatee Lookout, the bump there, we picked up the last set of passengers and the man crossed the bump and from there he picked up speed, and when I say speed, he was speeding very fast, because he did it yesterday.  But today it was even faster and when he got there, those curves, there are some very deep curves on that side and he couldn’t take… like he went and he was unable to gain control of the bus again and when I looked up, I realized that the bus di goh soh but di tail ah di bus weh paat I deh noh di goh di same direction like di bus.”

 

The driver of the Central Transit Bus lost control, causing the bus to briefly veer off the road. He tried to regain control of the steering, but the bus fishtailed and swerved wildly to the other side of the road.

 

Ashanti Can

“For some reason, thanks, by the grace of God, we did not go in the water.  We went around, he swerved again around to the next side of the road and then he swerved again and I guess that’s where he got the blowout and from there he landed on the side and the bus just skate into the bushes weh paat di lamppost deh and everybody, that was it for that bus.”

 

Many passengers, including children, were injured. Some had scrapes and bruises, while others suffered sprains and abrasions. Darren Slusher, a registered nurse attached to the Accident and Emergency Unit, was on duty at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, ready to help.

 

Darwin Slusher, Registered Nurse, K.H.M.H.

“Our shift supervisor made the call to announce that there was a mass casualty in effect.  And so, with that said, we had to mobilize nurses, doctors and support and auxiliary staff from the various patient care units to the Accident and Emergency, being that the number that we were informed was greater than six which constitutes our mass casualty plan. How the plan works is, we’d have one of the senior nurses on duty, such as myself who would then tag and triage these patients as they enter through the main gate.”

 

Can was among the many victims who were brought in by ambulance.  She complained of a sharp pain in her right leg.

 

Ashanti Can

“I felt the pain.  Like one spell, I couldn’t even move.  So I sat on the side of the road and that was it, I could not move from there.  My leg was unable to move, it was starting to go numb and the BERT people said not to move, that they would get a stretcher to take me to the hospital.  So that’s how I came to the hospital, me and my other daughter.”

 

When they arrived, Morris Westby, a Senior Supervisor on duty, was already waiting. He efficiently directed the flow of victims as they poured into the hospital.

 

Morris Westby, Senior Supervisor, K.H.M.H.

“The most difficult part would be the family members because, remember, nobody is begging to be in this hospital.  People come here because they need medical attention and some family members get contacted, “Your family member was just in a crazy bus accident, they are doing bad.”  All sorts of things, so you get all the family members rushing in and all people want to know is that their family members are receiving medical service and that’s why we, the security officers, the frontline people, the nurses, the doctors, give that assurance.”

 

Miraculously, no one was seriously injured. The KHMH quickly activated its mass casualty protocol and began treating the injured without delay.

 

Tylon Tillett, Public Relations, K.H.M.H.

“This is what we are designed and trained to do.  We are the only hospital that can respond to a level of care that was required this morning. This morning, our security officers did an awesome job of doing their duty as security officers and chipping in where necessary to get the work done, to get the Belizean public back on par.”

 

Isani Cayetano for News Five.