Miguel Segura Sued by Victim’s Family

Miguel Segura

Former Deputy Commissioner of Police Miguel Segura is being sued for damages. The claim is being brought by the mother of Yolanda Valencia, who died in a terrible head-on collision on August sixteenth, 2014. The victim, a market vendor, was heading to San Ignacio early that morning in a taxi when a government-issued vehicle driven by an inebriated Segura smashed into them. Attorney Kareem Musa today told us why the family has decided to pursue legal action.

Kareem Musa, Attorney for Valencia Family

“It was actually recorded by an amateur photographer on the scene. A video was taken and we can see the actual demeanour of Mr. Segura when he got out of the vehicle…very nonchalant, very uncaring of what had actually taken place. So we find that to be very heartbreaking and very insulting to the family. But that aside, we have instituted an action on behalf of the mother because she was a dependent of Yolanda. Yolanda actually was the breadwinner of that family. She took care of all the medical expenses for Miss Guadalupe and her husband and the children so aside from that the household expenses, what have you, that’s what Ms. Yolanda took care of so we’re actually bringing a case of behalf of Ms. Guadalupe, her mother. There are several different reliefs being sought. Primarily it is general damages which will be based on a formula that the court will have to assess in terms of the expectancy of Yolanda’s life. She was fifty-five years old at the time and she was fully capable of continuing to work, so we will have to factor in how many years she could have continued working to be able to then determine what exact amount of damages should be awarded to the mother and to the family. In addition to that there is a claim for funeral expenses…that’s special damages in the sum of seven thousand five hundred and of course a general claim for bereavement for the family for the pain and suffering they have had to go through.”

Kareem Musa

Reporter

“Was this claim filed only against Mr. Segura or also against the Government of Belize or the Police Department?”

Kareem Musa

“Certainly Mr. Segura was not driving his personal vehicle at the time. He was driving his government issued Nissan Pathfinder and as such, since there is no insurance attached to those government vehicles we have to sue the government of Belize because he was driving a government vehicle…so the liability is not just personal but also governmental at this stage.”

While the parties have filed an acknowledgment of services, they have also made it clear that they do not accept the claim.