A Confused Cyclist is Fatally Injured on Southern Highway

A cyclist riding erratically along the Southern Highway lost his life shortly before one o’clock this morning in a deadly collision.  The fatal road traffic accident happened in the vicinity of Forest Home Village and involved several police officers inside a stationary pickup truck.  They were responding to an incident in the area when they saw a man riding a bicycle across the highway.  Corporal Jeremiah Usher was about to pullover the rider when an oncoming vehicle crashed into the unknown person, pinning him between the Ford Excursion and the Ford F-150 patrol car.  The man perished on site and several officers inside the pickup sustained varying degrees of injuries.  According to Inspector Clement Cacho, a Notice of Intended Prosecution has been served to thirty-one-year-old James Williams Junior.

On the Phone: Insp. Clement Cacho, O.C., Punta Gorda Police

“Approximately 12:53 a.m. on March fourteenth, 2016, police received information of a traffic accident at Forest Home Village.  As a result of the information received, police officers from the Punta Gorda formation visited the scene between miles four and five on the Southern Highway.  At the scene it was observed that a white in color Ford Excursion bearing license plate…, facing a west to east direction on the left side of the Southern Highway traveling from Elridge Village towards Forest Home Village was off the edge of the road, the front of the vehicle extensively damaged and the rear wheel of a bicycle was seen to be embedded in the grill of the Ford Excursion.  The Ford Excursion was being driven at the time by one James Williams Junior, thirty-one-year-old Belizean businessman of Cattle Landing Village.  He is the holder of a valid driver’s license.  The Ford Excursion is insured with the Insurance Corporation of Belize and it’s licensed.  The lifeless body of a fair skinned male person was seen lying in front of the Excursion in the bushes off the road.  A police vehicle, being a Ford F150 pickup truck bearing license plates… was seen on the opposite side of the road facing an east to west direction whilst traveling from Punta Gorda Town on the Southern Highway, approximately twenty-seven feet off the road in the bushes with lights on.  The front of the police vehicle was extensively damaged.  The front wheel of a bicycle was seen approximately fifteen feet from the Ford F150 pickup truck which is insured with Atlantic Insurance Company.  The F150 pickup truck was being driven at the time by Corporal Jeremiah Usher, who is the holder of a valid drivers license.  Initial investigation revealed that the police vehicle was parked off the road facing east to west direction with its hazard lights on and blinking to attend to a fair skinned male person who was seen riding on the road on a bicycle apparently disoriented.  Corporal Usher was about to exit the vehicle to approach the said fair skinned male person when he saw the vehicle, a Ford Excursion coming over a hill under a ball of speed.  Apparently the driver lost control and ran directly into the police vehicle crushing the fair skinned male person between both vehicles, causing the police vehicle to go over to the other side of the road.  Corporal Usher immediately entered the police vehicle.  The deceased was trapped between both vehicles and the impact pushed the police vehicle to the other side of the road.  The scene was processed, photographs taken, sketch plan drawn and blood sample taken from Corporal Usher and blood sample taken from Mr. James Williams.  A notice of intended prosecution was issued to James Williams, a statement recorded and a medical form issued to parties who were injured, that being Corporal Usher who received a cut wound to his head, PC Gamboa who received a fractured left foot.  PC Aranda only complained of pain in his chest.  At the time there was a civilian onboard the police vehicle, Alston McLaughlin, who was being detained for the crime of burglary.  He sustained a cut wound to his left foot and complained of pain to his right wrist.  They were all treated and released from the Punta Gorda Hospital.  From the Ford Excursion only one person received minor injuries, that is one Alex Williams and he received an injury to his left foot.  Other passengers onboard the Excursion did not sustain any injuries.  The body of the fair skinned male person was transported to the Punta Gorda Hospital where Dr. Cruz pronounced him dead on arrival.  The body was transported to the morgue and now awaits post mortem examination.”

Up to news time, the identity of the deceased is unknown.