Minister of Education is unscathed in Belize City accident

There were several accidents over the weekend resulting in one fatality in Independence and at least ten person injured in Independence and Belmopan. We start with a fender bender in Belize City on Sunday afternoon. At just after two p.m., a white government issued Toyota Prado being driven by Minister of Education Patrick Faber was in a collision with a Police mobile at the roundabout on Freetown Road. The Police officers were responding to reports of a fire when they hit the vehicle driven by Faber. Mike Rudon has the story including a response from the minister.

Mike Rudon, Reporting

This was the scene just after two Sunday afternoon on the Freetown roundabout. The collision was between this Police pickup seen here and a white Toyota Prado being driven by Minister of Education Patrick Faber. He didn’t stick around, but departed the scene without talking to Police. All that was left behind was the bumper of the government-issued vehicle. Faber didn’t bother to retrieve it before he left. An eyewitness recounted what he saw.

Voice of: Eyewitness

“Apparently the police was on their way to a fire—that’s what I got to find out—and around the roundabout, the vehicle to my knowledge shoulda mi hear that siren long time…came around the roundabout and took the right of way…ran into the police vehicle. Stopped a little bit pass the roundabout after ih damage the police vehicle, but after that sped off. It didn’t have no plates…it had a minister.”

Reporter

“You saw him…you saw Patrick Faber?”

Voice of: Eyewitness

Yes I saw him in the vehicle. Yes he was alone.”

Reporter

“Who did you say have right of way?”

Voice of: Eyewitness

“The police. Normally, once you hear a siren blasting you are supposed to stop and pull aside. There is no doubt…it is not about right of way. It is about a siren, an emergency; you pulled over to the side and you stop where you’re at.”

As you heard, the eyewitness states that Faber was alone in the Prado, while we understand that he claimed later that he left the scene in a hurry because he had to take a passenger to the hospital. The Police at the scene seemed uncertain what to do about the incident, especially in the absence of Minister Faber and the other vehicle involved.

Reporter

“What did the police do after the incident?”

Voice of: Eyewitness

“Well they just stopped. They didn’t want to do anything. I wanted to take the bumper and put it on the side. I mean this is evidence. They said, no, leave it there.  I mean somebody has to take responsible and I think the person driving the white land cruiser supposed to take responsibility.”

Reporter

“Did anyone appear to be injured?”

Voice of: Eyewitness

“No, I saw probably police was…his finger or something. But I don’t know, I can’t say.”

Later that afternoon Minister Faber visited the Queen Street Police Station, just as the passengers of the damaged Police mobile arrived. Faber tries to speak to a visibly frustrated and angry driver of the mobile. We couldn’t hear what was being said, but the gestures are enough to indicate that it wasn’t a happy conversation.

Faber was left standing alone before he climbed into another vehicle – a black Toyota Hilux pickup without license plates – and departed the scene.

We’ve been able to confirm that no charges have been levied against Faber, either for the collision or for leaving the scene. We tried to reach him for comment today but he did not respond. Mike Rudon for News Five.

News Five contacted Minister Faber via text, and received a response late this evening. Faber explained, also via text, that “Yesterday, I was in a small traffic mishap with a police vehicle on the roundabout at the corner of Saint Thomas Street and Freetown Road. While on the roundabout turning on to Saint Thomas Street, pretty sure I had the right away, I was forced to bring my vehicle to a stop at which point the police mobile apparently in an emergency pursuit sped across the roundabout northern bound on Freetown road, colliding with my vehicle. I did not hear police sirens or see flashing lights. Nobody was injured in the small traffic accident and both vehicles received minor damage. As a result of these minor damages and because the Police claim to have been in an emergency pursuit, I have agreed to take on the cost of very minor repairs to the Police vehicle.”