Press Office Director Knocks Down and Kills Cyclist

Dean Dawson

A mechanic was killed just before midnight on the stretch of highway that traverses the village of Biscayne on the Philip Goldson Highway. The mechanic and resident of Gardenia is a former employee with the National Fire Service; Dean Dawson was riding his bicycle when he was hit by a government pick-up truck driven by the director of the Press Office Dorian Pakeman.  Pakeman was driving from Orange Walk toward Ladyville when Dawson was hit off his bike and perished on the spot. His common-law-wife says he was heading home when he was killed. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

The tire marks on the asphalt and vehicle shards between miles twenty-two and twenty-three on the Philip Goldson Highway indicate that something went awfully wrong on Wednesday night. Around eleven-thirty p.m. forty-five year old Gardenia mechanic, Dean Dawson, was knocked down and killed as he headed home on bicycle. The impact sent Dawson’s body crashing into the windshield of the Izusu D-max before hitting the pavement some yards away. The vehicle ended up in bushes off the road.

Insp. Juanito Cocom, O.C., Ladyville Police

“Upon arrival, police observed a burgundy Isuzu D-max bearing license plate BZB-2029, which is the property of the government of Belize on the left hand side of the highway in the direction of Ladyville in some bushes with its front portion completely damaged. Furthermore, about fifty feet from the vehicle, the motionless body of a brown complexion male person dressed in purple t-shirt and a long jeans pants was seen lying face down on the same side of the road. About twenty-eight feet away from him was a blue and white bicycle completely damaged.”

Dawson was hit a couple miles from where he lived. The family was initially told that he had been shot and hurried to the scene to find his body face-down across the right hand side of the road.

Voice of: Teresita Abraham, Common-law Wife of Deceased

“When I got out there, I honestly thought it was a hit and run because I wasn’t aware that the vehicle involved was out there and either the driver. So immediately I thought it was a hit and run when I got at the scene. He was lying face down and one of his hands was broken, one of his foot was broken, his clothes ripped and injury to the back of his head; he as bleeding from his nose, from his mouth and just lying face down motionless.”

The driver of the vehicle is thirty-four year old Orange Walk resident Dorian Pakeman, the Director of the Government Press Office.

Juanito Cocom

Insp. Juanito Cocom

“He was heading from the direction of Orange Walk to Ladyville and between the miles twenty-two and twenty-three in Biscayne he observed a person riding a bicycle in the same direction who suddenly swerved into his lane. He tried his best to avoid a collision by swerving to his left also; however, he still collided into the cyclist.”

Residents in the area, however, are saying that the government vehicle was speeding on the highway and that Pakeman was actually overtaking another vehicle, traveling in the same direction, when he came into the path of Dawson. The driver of the second vehicle has not given an official report to police as yet, but this is what residents and family members are saying.

Dorian Pakeman

Voice of: Teresita Abraham

“We were told that the alleged driver was coming from the direction of Orange Walk; there as a vehicle in front of him as well and he was driving and apparently he decided to overtake. And when he overtake and went on the other side of the road, that is when he hit Mister Dawson. And I have to say this and I will say this that he had to be driving at a high speed; it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out because of the damages that that vehicle sustained…it was totaled.”

Voice of: Gloria Dawson, Resident

“Just a vehicle that was coming the same direction, the vehicle overtake him and he was the one that see what happened.”

Duane Moody

“So the vehicle was overtaking another vehicle?”

Voice of Gloria Dawson

“Overtake another vehicle and that was the vehicle that say what happened.”

Duane Moody

“That person didn’t stay around; that person left before police reached?”

Voice of Gloria Dawson

“Yap.”

Investigation into this fatal RTA continues and Pakeman has since been served with a notice of intended prosecution.

Insp. Juanito Cocom

“The scene was processed, sketches were drawn, a notice of intended prosecution has been served upon Mister Dorian Pakeman who has also offered a caution statement, urine sample was taken from him. Mister Dawson was transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial hospital where he was pronounced dead at arrival.”

The family has questions and Teresita Abraham says that she has since sought legal advice.

Voice of: Teresita Abraham

“This is a life that we are talking about. Dean had family members that loved him; he has kids and he is not an animal, he’s not a dog. It’s not like you knock down a dog and leave him on the roadside. So I hope that the government and the respective authorities look into this matter and deal with it as urgently as possible. It was a government vehicle with a press office employee and I want to know if that employee even had authority to be driving that pickup at twelve midnight on the road and if he was even authorized to be driving that pickup.”

Duane Moody for News Five.