Woman Killed in Traffic Collision Outside Capital
Maria Esther Guillen
A fifty-eight-year-old woman from Las Flores, Belmopan, was killed in a road traffic accident on Wednesday night on the Stann Creek Valley Road. Police say that just before eight-thirty, they were called out to miles eleven and twelve where they saw a van with extensive damage to the front and a motionless woman with massive head injuries was lying seven feet away from the van. Also on the scene, police observed an extensively damaged SUV. Oscar Gomez was driving the van heading to Belmopan when the SUV, travelling in the opposite direction and driven by a seventeen-year-old, made a left turn and slammed into the driver’s side of the van. The impact of the collision caused the van to flip several times and one of the passengers, Maria Esther Guillen, was thrown from the vehicle and died. Today we spoke with Guillen’s son, Miguel Ortiz.
Miguel Ortiz
Miguel Ortiz, Son of Deceased
“They were travelling from Placencia. She went to work doing a cleanup and what happened is that on the way coming back, a vehicle just went in their way and that was the case of the accident. But apart from what all else happen, I don’t have the information yet.”
Duane Moody
“I understand some other persons were injured in the accident, some of them your relatives, talk to us about that?”
Miguel Ortiz
“My sister was actually sitting down along with her and what she said is that all of a sudden when the vehicle start to spin over she was actually not there anymore. So, her death was maybe caused because she got thrown out of the vehicle. My sister and the driver and the driver’s son are ok. They have minor bruises, scrapes and pain as well because of the flipping over of the vehicle and the scratches.”
Duane Moody
“Your mom was well-known in Belmopan. Talk to us about here. What are you going to remember the most about her?”
Miguel Ortiz
“Most important thing that she taught us all here is that we should be strong and keep working hard the way she does. So, she was a hard-working woman and she taught us to do everything the way she wanted to.”
Also travelling in the van at the time of the accident was Christina Ortiz, who is in a critical condition. The passenger inside the SUV, Esther Hernandez, was treated and released. The minor was served with an NIP.
