Belize City Driver Did Not Survive Collision With Shaw’s Bus

Albert Garnett

He was on his way home to Belize City from Gales Point where his family celebrated Christmas Day, but sometime around eight o’clock that night, Albert Garnett would perish in a traffic accident between miles twenty-four and twenty-five on the George Price Highway. Police were called out to the scene of an accident in which a Shaw bus, driven at the time by Audomario Chan, had collided with an Isuzu Rodeo SUV, driven by Garnett. The fifty-five-year-old father of seven was a career ‘coupling linesman’ at the Port of Belize from its inception to the time of his untimely death. He was also a well-known former track and field athlete. News Five spoke today with his sisters about his demise. 

Lavern Garnett, Sister of Deceased

“When I deh home, I get a knock on the door and it say my breda my breda ketch ina wah accident and my breda dead. And I replied no man because I left my breda dah Malanti; we were there, we mi dib ram, ih mi di beat ih drum and ih mi di go on bad. Ih mi di enjoy ihself; ih really mi di go on bad. After that I don’t know what really happened because we left Malanti about six o’clock and I neva know until after I get the sad news. We don’t know exactly what happened.”

Alice Garnett

Alice Garnett, Sister of Deceased

“He was a good person; he neva say no. Yo call ahn anytime out for ih pikney and he is always there. He noh run joke when it comes to emergency; he noh run joke when ih come to family. He is a family man.”

Duane Moody

“Up until his passing, he was employed by Port of Belize; he’s been there thirty-seven years?”

Lavern Garnett

Lavern Garnett

“Yes he deh deh about that cause ih deh deh from ih eighteen; that was his first job. My pa ker ahn dah Port to work and ih deh deh until recently when ih dead.”

Alice Garnett

“He run wah marathon from Belize and gone dah Guatemala and run wah marathon and brign back wah trophy to Belize and all dehn thing. He dah wah runner. Anytime Easter or anything, he deh deh di run—he deh out there.”

Duane Moody

“So he has represented Belize outside several times?”

Alice Garnett

“Yeah, he gone and ih come back and ih bring back that trophy.”

Also injured in the accident were Lenny Smith, a passenger on the bus and Earl Hamilton, who was traveling in the rodeo at the time with Garnett.