Trucks collide on Western Highway; no injuries

It’s one of the most dangerous highways in the country and even though the latest traffic accident on the Western Highway did not result in bloodshed, as Jacqueline Godwin reports, big trucks and high speeds do not equal good news.

Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
Tonight authorities are still investigating what caused a Femagra water truck to run off the road and left one of two dump trucks extensive damage at mile eight on the Western Highway.

Steve Tut, Driver, Femagra Water Truck
?The man stop gear down. I see like the man wah continue overtake me, but realize that maybe another vehicle mi di come?which I never see at the time. I was trying to see what he was gonna do. All I heard was just a bang and I see my truck just gone left me from weh I deh.?

Steve Tut, who was driving the cargo truck filled with empty water containers, said he was heading towards Belmopan but when his vehicle experienced mechanical problems he pulled off the road. Tut says as he jumped out of his vehicle, he saw the dump truck barrelling towards him.

Steve Tut
?I encountered myself having some vehicle problems and I park on the side, put on my hazard?I just, just get out of it to tell my sideman to get something to warn the oncoming traffic, but this guy was not too far away from me and so did not give me time to do all of that. And due to the excess speed weh this guy di come, he couldn?t actually stop immediately. Cause what happen he wanted to stop and it look like he change his mind to overtake the vehicle, but realize that he can?t do it again.?

At that moment, another dump truck driven by Felipe Garcia was coming from the opposite direction. As Garcia tried to get out of harm?s way, the first truck slammed into Tut?s vehicle and careened across the highway.

Steve Tut
?As you can see the distance, how far it ker my vehicle, so you could more or less tell the speed it was coming.?

Jacqueline Godwin
?Obviously you had to quickly move out of the way.?

Steve Tut
?I had to jump out, cause probably I would have injured myself too; get hurt or something.?

Felipe Garcia, Dump Truck Driver
?The only thing I saw was a big truck di come pan top ah me. The next one mi park pan the side and they noh put no sign anywhere and it just mi di rain. He couldn?t stop it. It mi deh wet, he couldn?t stop it. And deh me mi wah take the lick, but he gone pan top of the next one.?

Reports to News Five are that the driver of the dump truck was in a hurry to reach the quarry at mile twenty-one before it closed for the day. No one was injured in the afternoon collision, but loads of sand and fuel spilt onto the highway.

The National Fire Service was called out to the scene so fighters could clean the mess and allow motorists to safely pass the area. Jacqueline Godwin reporting for News Five.

Up to news time, no one has been arrested in connection with the accident.