American Tourist Perishes In RTA on George Price Highway
Before noon today, a delivery truck from the Hummingbird Citrus Limited Two- farm collided with a small SUV at mile thirty-one on the George Price Highway. One of three persons travelling in the smaller vehicle, died. She has been identified as a US tourist who was heading to Jaguar Paw for a day trip. A second tourist was injured and is hospitalized and so is the sideman in the eighteen wheeler truck. A witness says it took the ambulance close to an hour to get to the accident scene. In the meantime the tourists remained trapped inside the small car. As for the cargo truck, it ended belly up on the highway which was littered with the thousands of oranges it was transporting. Andrea Polanco reports.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
A completely destroyed Blue SUV, an extensively damaged eighteen wheeler truck and hundreds of oranges strewn across the George Price Highway tell the tale of a high impact collision that claimed the life of one person. While vehicles traverse the area at a slow pace under the direction of traffic officers, farm workers were busy trying to salvage what was left of the cargo. The smashed oranges had created a mess on the highway and had to be power-washed off to avoid a second traffic mishap. Due to the extent of the damage on the vehicle and the overturn orange truck, the injuries were thought to be serious. The two drivers and three passengers of both vehicles were transported to the hospital. Twenty year old Miguel Arriaza of St. Margaret’s Village was driving his father’s truck to take oranges from a farm to the Citrus Factory in Pomona. He lived to tell the story.
Miguel Arriaza
Miguel Arriaza, Truck Driver
“I was driving, coming loaded already from the farm and I see once the vehicle overtake me and we were in the road. Suddenly, I had a good distance from the vehicle and the vehicle just brakes and didn’t put signal light; nothing and I’m loaded, it wasn’t easy to stop a truck like that. Well…and everything occurred. We are safe. I just got informed that the woman just died.”
Andrea Polanco
“From what you are saying, they didn’t put on their indicator?”
Miguel Arriaza
“They didn’t put on their indicator; just parked there. I was coming in the back. I had a good distance and I blow my horn but nothing.”
Andrea Polanco
“Were they turning to go into Jaguar Paw?”
Miguel Arriaza
“No. Just parked. Parked right there.”
Andrea Polanco
“They were parked or driving along?”
Miguel Arriaza
“And I blow my horn for them to move because another vehicle was coming but they had sufficient time to go in or whatsoever they would do, but I couldn’t stop.”
Unable to stop, this loaded truck rammed into the SUV. A woman, Theresa Lyn Meuers, reportedly died at the hospital. She and another cruise ship passenger, Samuel Douglas Schulte, were in the Belize for the day and heading to Jaguar Paw to do day tours. She was travelling in the back seat of the SUV, driven at the time by Tour Guide Leon Garcia of Big John’s Tours. Garcia was released from hospital, but he was too shaken up to speak. His colleague, John Pollard, gave us Garcia’s version of events.
John Pollard, Tour Operator
“He was heading towards Cave Tubing at Jaguar Paw at mile 37 and upon reaching at the junction, just before the junction, he was tail ended by an eighteen wheeler truck filled with orange.”
Andrea Polanco
“The vehicle extensively damaged; it’s finished. Can you tell us the condition of the people who were in the vehicle at the time?”
John Pollard
John Pollard
“The people inside; there were two American tourists; one female and a male. I reached here at the hospital and the female had succumbed to her injuries from that accident. The male is feeling pains inside, such as the driver. So the male is to be transferred to Belize. I met a lady from the Embassy who said that they are gonna take it over from here; they received the documents that the tourists have and they are gonna send him in Belize City at one of the main branches- hospital.”
Andrea Polanco
“For Mr. Leon- are you able to say if he is going to be ok?”
John Pollard
“Yes, for Mr Leon I should say that he has pains same as the other guy received from the injuries. I believe it is from the lash. But we believe in God, so I think he is going to be ok. Everything should be ok for Leon and that other tourist.”
Not as shaken up as the other driver, Arriaza was relatively calm. He escaped unhurt, but his teenage friend travelling with him, Emil Lisbey, wasn’t as fortunate.
Miguel Arriaza
“In the truck, it was me and my friend, Emil Lisbey. He just got some busts in his head and he is in the hospital right now.”
Andrea Polanco
“I see you have blood on your shirt. Is that from your friend or from you?”
Miguel Arriaza
“Yes, from my friend because when the vehicle flipped over I felt that he dropped on me and I hold him and it just came off. He told me, ‘I’m okay. I’m okay,’ but I see him with his head burst and I hold him and I got messed. But I am okay, nothing bad with me.”
Andrea Polanco
“You don’t feel any pain, anything? That truck is pretty mashed up.”
Miguel Arriaza
“No. Nothing. I am just trembling a little bit.”
Andrea Polanco
“How do you think you guys survived that? I mean it looks terrible.”
Miguel Arriaza
“Much people have told me that. When it happened, a lot of them run to the truck and when I shouted, ‘I am out here,’ nobody can believe that I get out so quick. I am here and I am alive, but I am sorry for the woman.”
Andrea Polanco
“Your friend, what’s his condition right now? He got a wound to the head. What’s his condition?”
Miguel Arriaza
“Well, right now he got sewn already and right now I am here at the police station to make my report and they took him to take an x-ray and I will go back and check him.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Andrea Polanco.
WELL…. THE FIRST TRAFFIC RULE SAYS: DO NOT OBSTRUCT THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC.
PARK AWAY FROM THE ROAD ON YOUR RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHEN ALL…ALL IS CLEAR YOU CAN GO LEFT..OK, LEFT.
YOU CAN DO A RIGHT TURN CAREFULLY.
MANSLAUGHTER BY NEGLIGENCE FOR THE SUV DRIVER…PERIOD…PERIOD.
DID HE BUY …YES, BUY HIS DRIVING LICENSE?
COMMON THESE DAYS, AND EASY TO BUY DRIVER LICENSE.
Her name was Theresa Meuers. Not Meyers. She was a wonderful woman.
This is crazy man, how come they are going to give the two drivers intended prosecution. One drivers must be at fault, secondly we have to consider that a loaded semi is not easy to stop like small car. This vehicle once loaded are heavy and a quick stop is never possible. Hope the law applies to the driver in fault. Hope the law is served properly and condolences to the family of the tourist.
Truck driver going too fast to stop so he is at fault and stupid tour guide just stopping wherever he wants with no regard to other drivers-he too at fault. Both drivers should drive and be aware that at any time, a baby can run across the street and they should not kill it and say-“it wasn’t supposed to do that” -2 morons and John Pollard too-hope they sue his dumb ass always used to shake down the chiney for Archie lee until he was fired and ended up in tourism
Every driver in Belize drive reckless.
The first comment is pretty ignorant but this does not mean that another driver just blow their horn and keep coming and slam into anything in his way. Of course he couldn’t stop because he did not intend to stop. The truck drivers should be held at a very high standard and should loose their license when they drive so reckless.
You can be right but you can be dead right. There is a charge for driving too fast for conditions. Then again Belize may not have these regulations. There is also another charge for driving without due care and attention. I am sure if it was another semi in the road way he would have found his break pedal because he knew he would have come out on the losing end he he would run into the back of another truck.
That law in Belize regarding how to make a left turn is so antiquated and obsolete and it is not international standards. I guess the entrance to the airport in Belize City is an illegal turn because left turn lane is provided and left turn lanes should not be completed this way per the law.
We the resident of Pomona witness each day since the openning of the factory, many careless drivers racing to reach the factory. Flying speed bumps. very ridiculous. We NEED urgent attention since we have two primary schools in the viscinity. The factory headquarters cannot stop these but with the help of the traffic officers.
I agree Belizean Pride that a loaded semi is almost impossible to stop to avoid an accident, but was the driver of this truck questioned if he was rushing to get to the factory. VERY serious situation to look at and I hope the media can assist in getting the information in hands of the law. Just to repeat there are two schools very close to the citrus factory.
This is crazy sad……. “A witness says it took the ambulance close to an hour to get to the accident scene.” I can’t imagine the pain and shock of being crushed in the back seat of a mini suv for 1 solid hour.
Theresa Meures was a very special lady.
Condolences to the Meuers family