Alex King dies in traffic accident

One would think that after spending the last week reporting on the death of over five thousand innocent people in New York and Washington, the media would have learned to deal with grief. Not so. This morning we received the news that a young Belizean businessman with close ties to a number of local media houses was killed when he lost control of his vehicle on the Western Highway near Rockville. Thirty-two year old Alex King was a former employee of Channel 5 and worked closely with a number of other broadcasters, particularly in the field of sports. He was also the proprietor of the restaurant at the International Airport and had just last month taken on the posts of public relations officer for the University of Belize and marketing officer for its Regional Language Centre. It is believed that sometime around eight this morning the green Isuzu Rodeo, en route from Belmopan, left the pavement–perhaps due to a blowout–and flipped several times before coming to rest on its side. King, apparently not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown from the vehicle and is believed to have been knocked unconscious and may have drowned in a shallow pool of water. According to Oscar Pollard, a traffic warden who was manning a checkpoint at Hattieville, they received word of an accident around 8:30 and went out to investigate.

Oscar Pollard, Traffic Warden

“We observed a vehicle off the road and we turned back and noticed that it was the vehicle that was identified to us. We found that there was a person lying face down in the water. So immediately we made a quick search of the vehicle to see if any other occupants was available and there was none. So we called in the police, who responded very quickly.”

Jacqueline Woods

“It looks like Mr. King lost control from a good distance.”

Oscar Pollard

“Yes. I would say approximately a hundred and fifty yards from where the vehicle actually stooped, that’s where he lose control from.”

King is survived by his parents, Emory and Elisa King, brother Emory Junior, wife Debbie and two children. We at Channel 5 cannot begin to express our sorrow and extend deepest sympathy to the family. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. at Holy Redeemer Cathedral.