More Details of Young Father Killed in Highway Crash

A fatal accident on the Hummingbird Highway Monday night claimed the life of 26-year-old Michael Daniels, a bartender and father of two young sons. Daniels and his friends had just finished football practice in Saint Margaret’s Village and were heading home to Valley Community when he lost control of his silver Mitsubishi and crashed into a culvert.

He suffered severe head and upper body injuries and died at the scene, while his two friends sustained injuries.

Daniels, who worked at Caves Branch Resort, was known for his love of sports and family. At just 14 years old, he and his brothers placed second in the intramural category of the La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge. His older brother, Kenrick Daniels, shared that Michael had been planning a family reunion and a football game to bring their loved ones together. “He wanted to do a family reunion, football game, and this was his idea to do that—our family reunion football game down in our village, Valley Community,” Kenrick recalled.

His sudden passing has left his family heartbroken, especially his wife, Paulina Daniels, with whom he would have celebrated his fifth wedding anniversary on Friday. His mother, devastated by the loss, recalled that in the past two weeks, Michael had been bringing her flowers from work. “She told him that when she dies, he doesn’t need to bring any flowers because he already brought enough for her now,” Kenrick shared. “Not knowing that he was bringing them because he wouldn’t be there when my mom died.”