The other side of the highway accident; driver’s children injured
On Sunday afternoon shortly after one, thirty-nine year old Louise Bailey was driving from Hattieville en route to the Agric Show in Belmopan when her mini-van suffered a blow-out and caused her to overturn between miles forty six and forty seven on the Western Highway near the Hector Silva Airstrip. Travelling with Bailey were nine other children, including her daughter, fourteen year old Leshawn Young and ten year old Aniqua Fisher, who are both hospitalized in critical condition. Bailey said that contrary to media reports, she wasn’t speeding and her family is also suffering from the accident.
Louise Bailey, Involved in Accident
Louise Bailey
“Leshawn Young, she is like a vegetable. She just pee, ih can’t control her urine, like di left side of her isn’t working well, she can’t do anything, she have to drink through straw, she have to sip through straw or anything like dat suh. It was so scary. And I just want to say to the mother that her apology is accepted and I just wah she know that I would neva do anything fuh harm dah child nor my child or even myself. I wah mek di mother know that I neva mi di speed up cause if I mi di speed up with nine people in the vehicle we wouldn’t have some ah wi right now. I just sorry fi weh happen but I still ker deh children cause deh dah my children children yuh nuh and I just sorry fi weh happen but it’s a front wheel blow-out but I couldn’t do nothing I tried my best fi keep it up.”
Police continue their investigations.
This is totally not true – I was on the scene and have pictures that show the contrary. There was no blowout! This was an accident that was caused by speeding and insufficient brakes.
From what I saw it appeared that she only had brakes in the front left tire. I owned an aerostar and that is one of the things that would tip them – other than that they are known to sit on the road well.
It appears she came around the curve at high speed and lost control, attempted to brake and flipped – it also appears that no one in the van was wearing seatbelt.
I drive on that stretch of road several times a month and i simply cannot understand how you can get in an accident, if not for speeding or the driver was way too inexperienced and should not be on the road at all. We need to teach people defensive driving in this country, people simply know how to start the engine and drive, but too many don’t know how to react during a blow out or a perceived accident.
Sad for the poor child. Belizeans take safety way too lightly, You all need to buckle up, put children in child seats etc. I don’t think she was speeding, if she was there would have been a lot more injuries.
i think the insurance companies tell them what to say.
Rhenae, thank you for bringing up the issue of seatbelts. The media needs include this information every time they report on a road traffic accident that results in injury or death. That’s they only way we are going to get it through people’s thick skulls that everyone needs to be wearing a seatbelt while in a moving vehicle. I’m sick of people always blaming “the road” or “a blow out” or “failed brakes” or “the other driver”. No matter what happened to cause this terrible accident, their is a very good chance that these kids could have walked away unharmed if they had simply been wearing seatbelts.
I agree BT. I was appalled that at the check points officers were checking for drivers’ licences, registration, and insurance but not one warned or ticketed for lack of seat belts. That was manifested by the accident. That van left from Hattieville and it had to have passed through the check point at mile 31. Obviously no one checked on that.
In fact when a driver pulled up to a check point and he or she and passengers not belted it – it would have meant an automatic ticket before we got to the rudimentary stuff. As usual – “it is the law” but we do not enforce it.
Miss Bailey, I believe what the other people who have already commented said but I do appreciate the fact that you have apologized. While your description of what is going on with your child is very graphic, being unable to control her urine & move her left side does not make her a vegetable, she suffered a traumatic injury. She has youth on her side & may be able to recover & lead a productive life. You caused the injury but more important, you are her mother, no 14 year old wants to be in that position, I am sure the hospital has disposable bed pads , clean the baby up, let her know that her glass is half full & give her incentive to live,
Miss Bailey i am going to take it easy with you just because you are also a victim of your negligence.Let’s hope for the speedy recovery of these kids.
Apparently ‘Bz’ don’t know the extent of the children’s injuries for her to be saying that the injuries would have been much worst if the driver was speeding. The driver was telling lies from the moment the accident happened, so maybe they are telling more lies now as how they probably had the chance already to speak with their representative.
This lady is just a big lying ****, she know she is wrong and has done wrong so now she trying to make herself a victim. She knows how critical the only little girl condition is, that this little girl might even loose her life while her daughter is fine. I cant understand how she can go on live tv and lie like that.
this lady is a gret pretender, someone needs to get to the bottom of this story and do something with this woman cause what she is doing is not right, she should be stopped and be charged too.
leshawn is talking walking drinking and doing everything normally, miss bailey should be ashamed of what she said, she REALLY
she REALLY wouldnt like the fact if she daughter was a vegetable. I think she is saying this because she know how critical the cdondition of the other little girl is and knows she is the cause of it so she is trying to make it seem as if things with her daughter is so so bad when really it is not at all.
Baby girl, the other little girl isn’t going to loose her life, she has shown much improvements since the accident happened. Her family has all hope and faith that she will make a full recovery, however, she will have to go outside for further medical attention tho.
It’s the first time am reading the text for this newscast and hearing her side of what happened. When an accident occurs and we are affected our reflex naturally is to put blame on sum1, 99% of the time it will be the driver. Until the technical people do their investigation and gather the finding we kno exactly who it is to blame. In this case and after seeing the pictures posted by Ms. Rhenae Nunez i confirm that this driver is indeed a great pretender as there is no evidence of a blow out as she is saying. Several persons in the van said that she was speeding, racing with her husband that was right behind in another vehicle. What kind of sense does she have knowing that she has 9 passengers in her vehicle, the majority being kids! !@$$ mein, Belmopan in only an hour away from Hattieville and agric goes until 6, weh the heck she mi need fi race fa? She nuh got no freeking sense mein? Then on top she will lie on national media and talk !@$$ bout blow out and daughter being a vegetable! Her daughter was indeed hospitalize, but saying she is a vegetable is being very hyperbolic! My heart goes out to her daughter for her injury; she has been treated and is now out of hospital. My cuz is still hospitalized and wud eventually need to travel for outside medical care, she is recovering and we thank God that it was’nt worst, but ppl need to take responsible for their actions and consider other people!