Eight year old child dies in tragic highway accident
kean vasquez
It was emotional day at Saint Hilda’s Primary School, students and teachers were grieving the sudden death of one of their own. Eight year old Kean Vasquez was killed in a traffic accident on Wednesday night on the highway in front of the Georgeville Football field. The young body was heading home from church when he met his untimely death. News Five’s Marion Ali was with Kean’s peers and family in Georgeville today.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Kean Vasquez, a standard one student of Saint Hilda’s Primary School in Georgeville Village, turned eight years old recently and was a happy child with a full life ahead. But at around six on Wednesday evening, his life was cut short when he was knocked down on the Western Highway in front of the village’s football field. The boy’s aunt, Jane McKoy, was with him moments before at the Pentecostal Church.
jane mckoy
Jane McKoy, Aunt of Accident Victim
“We finished practice six o’clock at the Pentecostal Church for the harvest thanksgiving day. Kean was out on the verandah at the church and then afterwards my daughter told him to go inside and he went inside and sit beside his granny. She was telling him his part and I noh know when Kean just slide outside of the church. When I hear a boom and I just look out there, it was Kean and I believe Kean was already dead.”
Karen Jones lives in front of the spot where the incident occurred.
Karen Jones, Georgeville Resident
karen jones
“I was inside doing some sewing and then I heard a hard noise and I told my husband that was an accident. So when we ran out of the house because I live behind my dad here, and as I come down from the step, I see the rodeo right there turn on the driver side down. When we come out we see it was a female lady in her uniform and she was yelling for help! Help! Help! Her left hand, it looked like it was broken and it was bloody, bloody and swollen and some men from around here, about five men helped her from out of the vehicle on the passenger side and they took her to the hospital. Not knowing that she hit someone, afterwards I know that she hit a little boy up yonder. Her vehicle end up right in front here on the side, over that side.”
The red Isuzu Rodeo driven by thirty four year old Myra Samos, came to a stop several yards away from little Kean’s body. The matter is under investigation according to Officer Commanding the San Ignacio Police Station, Inspector Claudio Mai.
Insp. Claudio Mai, O.C., San Ignacio Police Station
claudio mai
“She was travelling from Belmopan en route to San Ignacio when the accident occurred. The lee bwai run into the highway. That is what we are investigating right now. She was admitted to La Loma Luz Hospital suffering from abrasions and possibly fractures of the left hand and she’s still there. If the investigation reveals that she is somewhat at fault or there is enough evidence to charge the person then we will proceed.”
While police work to bring closure to the case, little Kean’s school held an emotional memorial service for him this morning, after which the standard one students at Saint Hilda’s Primary School drew pictures of how they remembered him. One of his classmates asked if he could sit at the desk of his fallen friend. The teachers close to the little boy told News Five that he was a good student.
Lucila Guerra, Teacher, St. Hilda’s Primary, Georgeville
lucila guerra
“Just yesterday I had him cleaning—we had the boys and the girls cleaning the school yard. When I was looking for him, he was behind the school playing marbles with another boy. So I called both of them and I said let me have the marbles. So I took away the marbles from him not realizing that maybe probably that may have been his last day playing marbles. But he was a nice child, he was a good boy, very obedient.”
wayne casey
Wayne Casey, Teacher, St. Hilda’s Primary Georgeville
“Death is something that my children really can’t understand but I believe with time, working along with them, counseling them, we will overcome this situation. In class, we have a few changes. I had a boy Joshua who had asked to move from his seat to where Kean sits. He did that so he could get a peace of mind, comfort and all of that. You know, even though Kean is gone, he is still with us.”
Marion Ali for News Five.
Was he TAUGHT HOW TO CROSS THE STREET???????
LOOK LEFT — LOOK RIGHT — LOOK LEFT AGAIN……..then cross if there is nothing coming.
THIS SHOULD BE PART OF EARLY CHILDHOOD CURRICULUM ….. especially in RURAL AREAS.
Where was the mother. they should be blamed for because of their carelessness. children are children but adults should have been more responsible ive had kids run infront of my vehicle but luckily i dont drive too fast.
This very sad my condolences to the family. Yesterday my daughter and I were riding our bicycles to school in the morning I was just about 1/2 way across a big intersection and was hit by a driver female, fortunately her kids probably woke her or distracted her. We were not hurt.
It appears this woman’s hand which was bleeding had her attention.
RIP Kean
My condolences to litle Keon’s family may his precious little soul RIP. @ Earl, I agree that people should teach their children to cross the street but sometimes drivers are in too much hurry and some of these accidents can be avoided. We need to remember that when we are driving we should be on alert because we never know when somone may cross the street/highway without paying attention to the traffic. I personally think this driver was speeding because there is a pedestrian crossing not too far from the church and football field where that child was hit……SPEEDING WAS WHAT CAUSED LITTLE KEON NOT TO BE WITH HIS FAMILY TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!
@ earl and cindy now is not the time to be playing the blame game, because regardless of who’s right or wrong a mother is grieving the lost of her child. I have two boys myself and if it was my child I would be pissed as hell or sitting behind bars. As a good driver you’re suppose to look out for other as well. We can BE a good driver but other there you’ll always find someone else who isn’t as careful. That little boy was standing on the side of the road when he was killed, because the driver was overtaking and because of another vehicle coming in the opposite direction she was forced to swerve back in and that’s when the little boy was hit. Pick sense outta nonsense if a person isn’t speeding how would they cause so much damage to a child who’s only 8 and also cause her vehicle to flipped 3 times. She actually jumped the bump because she was overtaking another vehicle there as well. From where the bump is and to where the child was killed isn’t even a good distance apart so that means she didn’t even slow down at the bump. Driving through villages we as drivers need to be careful, because kids are always playing near the road or sometimes even animals tend to stray across the road. It’s so sad that a child had been killed and that driver knows that she’s responsible but instead of taking responsibility she lies about it trying to cover her mistakes because dead man carry no tales. She should be punish regardless because “YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION” anyways while driving.
Imagine an eight year old on a busy highway!!!!!
How come the gran mother never hold on to him, this was a little boy that needed guidance in crossing the road, peolple western highway is a busy road, we must be carefull with children,
I am not condoning what the drive did, but as a driver for the past fifty years I have expirience some seroius cases where people on bike or walking just cross the street like suddenlty, a lot of accident are blame on drivers, but you know what pedestrians and bicycle riders have a lot of faults too, they themselves cause some accidents.
This is too sad. My sympathies to his family.
Earl Grey, you brought up valid point on crossing street. I have to teach my 3 year-old daughter that….
We run to blame the persons that die, but did the driver FEMALE/MALE slow down in school areas or where it is busy, drivers should go MAX SPEED LIMIT 20 MPH in these areas even if classes are out because it is a populated area. This can help with accidents, and atleast there won’t be much LOST OF LIVES NO MATTER WHO IS AT FAULT. Sorry for your lost Mrs. Vasquez.
Scar4life……….. IT’S NOT ABOUT BLAME………it’s about IT NOT HAPPENING AGAIN!!!
To Kean’s family, I’m very sorry for your loss. Apparently there was an eyewitness who claims that the child was on the side of the street, in front of a football field when he was hit. I agree with Sasha. How much damage can you do if you drive within speed limit? Even if you hit someone, there’s a great chance that it won’t be fatal. One question: Did the Police take any blood and urine samples from the driver for alcohol and drugs?
Let’s also remember three other 8 years old who were shot this year alone: Two fatally and the lucky survivor is maimed for life. THERE’S BEEN NO ARREST FOR THOSE CRIME, as heinous as they are. On the other hand, it’s been a great year for the criminals as the conviction rate went down a couple more notches from 7%, and for the DPP, as she has been promoted!
This woman was speeding NO DOUBT! The damn speed bump is not far away from where the child was knocked down. In no way if you were not speeding could you hit a child and kill him. there are eyewitnesses who saw her over taking carelessly and what pisses me off the most is that she is trying to cover her a** twisting the story around and lying about what really happened. She needs to be PUNISHED.
This is so sad..RIP to that little boy…I can not begin to imagine what his parents are going thru….and I’m sure that woman had no intention to kill that child, hopefully she finds peace within cause that must be a heavy burden to carry…
earl gray did you teach your kids any of these look left ,look right ?
all the highways in Belize are death traps. Until the GOB paints and maintains white stripes down the middle of the road, accidents and deaths are unavoidable. If a driver cannot figure out the center they will continue to have head on collisions or hit pedestrians on the shoulder.
This is tragic for the family and also for the driver. Unless your heartless the driver this will certainly be affected. I often say that the roads and highways in Belize are not built for the kind of driving I see, but its not the roads that kills but it’s the speeding that do exactly that. We need to start breathalyze people at road traffic accidents(RTAs), reducing speed limits at play grounds and school zones and also have the cops on patrol giving out fines for speeding are just so of the things we need to implement. Another thing which really need to be enforced is the use of the seat belts, baby-seats and ban mobile phones unless the driver is using a hands-free device. I have relatives who call me whilst driving and I simply hang up on them. Because the last thing I want to hear is a horrific accident unfolding and I am on the other end of the phone. Anyone calling me knows they need to be either stationary or on a hands-free to talk there is nothing so urgent that it cannot wait a few minutes. Belize has lost so many people to RTAs so needlessly and its about time we really crack down on this matter.
Rest in peace Kean.
Any smart person would know that as a parent you have to continue to teach your child to look right/left, right from wrong, etc. A child tends to forget things quite easily, so it has to be told over and over again until it becomes the lesson they eventually learn how to execute in their daily lives. This child is gone, could have been the greatest future Pm of Belize, ever.
On highways in Belize people are constantly driving reckless, and this woman is no exception, she killed a child, let her burn.
parents should be more careful. let this be a lesson for all those parents that send their 5 or 6 year old children to walk alone or under responsibility and care of a minor, that shouldn’t be so open your eyes to what has happened and be more careful with those children. and drivers open your eyes to the raods u r driving and the speed u r going……