Bus racing leads to driver’s death
The passengers have long complained about buses racing on the nation’s highways, but today the competition turned deadly, leaving a driver from James Bus Line dead and two employees from Z-Line in police custody. Police say as soon as the two buses left Punta Gorda for Belize City at around eight thirty this morning, they began overtaking each other. It is reported that at one point when the James Bus passed the Z-Line, someone from Z-Line made an obscene gesture at the James Bus driver. The James Bus then stopped in the middle of the road to pick up a passenger, forcing the Z-Line to stop behind them. Witnesses told police the James driver, Neville Ake got out of his bus, got into the Z-Line Bus and harassed the Z-Line conductor, James Linford. Police say the Z-Line driver Vidal Ticas entered the fray by kicking Ake in the chest. Ake fell out of the bus, hitting his head and later died of his injuries. Delbert Villafranco, a conductor from James Bus Line, was on his day off and was traveling to Mango Creek on the James Bus when the incident occurred. He often worked with Neville Ake.
Delbert Villafranco, Conductor, James Bus Line
“He was a cool person; he was a nice person. He not violent or nothing.”
Q: “Does he drive fast?”
Delbert Villafranco
“Sometime.”
Q: “Does he like racing?”
Delbert Villafranco
“Not, really but if we’re travelling together and another driver from another bus line is racing with us then he would more do it.”
Q: “Was that what he was doing?”
Delbert Villafranco
“Actualy we left from P.G. first and the other guys catch us and they were driving really nasty on the road and he did not like the idea so he just passed them.”
Q: “What happened after that?”
Delbert Villafranco
“Then that incident went on. We stopped to pick up somebody then the next bus came and stopped behind us and it looked like something was going on with the driver from Z-Line. Then the driver from this bus got out to see what was going on with them. I stayed in the bus and all I saw was when he drop down and I don’t know what went on.”
Q: “Did you go to him?”
Delbert Villafranco
“Actually we went to pick him up off the road. I just asked what went on but nobody answered. He was on the ground and we just picked him up and put him in the bus.”
Q: “How did he look?”
Delbert Villafranco
“He looked normal, didn’t have any cuts or bruises, no stab wounds. He was kinda blowing hard. We just picked him up, put him in the bus and carried him.”
Q: “Did he say anything?”
Delbert Villafranco
“No he didn’t talk. He just drop; that was it. He was still living when he drop but he dead before we reach Mango Creek.”
The body of thirty-six year old Neville Ake has been transported to the Dangriga Morgue for a postmortem. Police have detained James Linford and Vidal Ticas, the conductor and driver from the Z-Line Bus. Z-Line’s management told News Five they cannot comment on the incident until they have more information. The management of James Bus Service could not be reached for comment.
