Young woman killed in W. Hwy. collision

The Belmopan community is tonight mourning the loss of one of its own following a fatal traffic accident on the Western Highway. Twenty-four year old Nadya Castillo was a passenger in a Toyota Corolla heading toward Belize City around seven-thirty last night when it collided with an Isuzu pickup travelling in the opposite direction, near St. Matthews Village. We are told that Castillo had her seatbelt strapped around her waist, but earlier had complained that the upper band around her chest was choking her, so she had put it behind her back. It was a deadly decision as upon impact with the other car, Castillo’s head struck the dashboard and she perished on the spot. The driver, twenty-four year old Henry Wade, suffered head injuries and a broken right leg, while Castillo’s cousin, Leanne, broke her left arm and sustained bruises to her abdomen. The driver of the Isuzu has been identified as twenty-one year old Santiago Campos. As a result of the accident, Campos and his passenger, Leo Cansino, both of Orange Walk, sustained head and body injuries but tonight are listed in stable condition. As for the cause of the crash, family members tell News Five that Leanne Castillo remembers singing with Nadya and then suddenly Wade and Nadya start to scream…a jolt from behind…the vehicle spinning…and then the bang of the head on crash itself. Police investigations have now determined that the initial impact of a third vehicle from the rear put the Toyota car into a skid across the highway and directly into the path of the Isuzu. Up to news time, neither that vehicle nor its driver has been found and authorities are asking anyone with information to please contact the nearest police station. Nadya Castillo will be laid to rest on Tuesday afternoon at three at the Our Lady of Guadelupe Cathedral in Belmopan. Nadya was the youngest daughter of Dr. Greg Castillo and Indra Roopnarine.

Meanwhile, authorities in Punta Gorda are investigating another traffic accident that has claimed the life of a motorcyclist. Police report that thirty-two year old Tyron Bardalez of Forest Home Village was riding his black and yellow ninja motorcycle between miles two and three on the Southern Highway when it appears he lost control and crashed into a bus stop on the side of the road. Bardalez’s body has been transported to the Punta Gorda Hospital where it awaits a post-mortem.