2 Accidents in Orange Walk; Youth Dead, 11 Injured

A total of sixteen persons were injured in five separate traffic accidents over the Christmas weekend. Of these, twelve were involved in two separate accidents in the Orange Walk District. On Christmas Eve, the first of these two accidents claimed the life of a minor, Benjamin Krahn of Shipyard. Seventeen-year-old Benjamin, a mechanic, and his older brother, twenty-year-old Abram Krahn, were riding along the Shipyard Road on a horse and buggy around six-forty in the evening when a Ford F-150 pickup truck, with Texas license plates, traveling down on the August Pine Ridge Road crashed into them, causing the buggy to overturn. Orange Walk Police have confirmed that Benjamin received serious head and body injuries and Abram received injuries to his leg and body. Both were transported to the Northern Regional Hospital where Benjamin succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment. Driver Heinrich Enns has been issued with a notice of intended prosecution while investigations into the tragic incident continue. About an hour later, ten more individuals were injured in a traffic mishap. This time the scene was near mile forty-two on the Philip Goldson Highway. Orange Walk Police found a black Wingle Pickup truck and a white Ford Escape on the side of the road, both with extensive damages. Three women – driver Lorena Cervantez of Belize City; Lorena Zepeda of Caye Caulker and Catalina Zepeda of San Joaquin, Corozal – and four minors between six and thirteen years of age were transported to the Northern Regional, of which two are still listed as being in treatment. We understand that the driver of the Wingle, Fernando Hernandez of Guinea Grass, Orange Walk, was trying to overtake and misjudged the distance back to his lane, causing him to run into the Escape, which was traveling in the opposite direction. Hernandez and his companions, Keith Lopez of San Pablo, Orange Walk and Angel Requeña of Guinea Grass were also injured and treated in hospital. Samples were retrieved from both drivers and the case file was sent to the office of the Department of Public Prosecution for further directives.