OW P.U.P. Area Rep. Takes the Stand to Testifies in a Civil Suit Brought Against Him

Julia Arana

Orange Walk South P.U.P. Area Representative Jose Abelardo Mai took the stand for a cross-examination in a civil suit brought against him by Nissan Arana, the son of a Julia Arana who Mai knocked down on April first, 2016.  Julia was crossing the Phillip Goldson Highway in Trial Farm Village when Mai collided into her with his vehicle. While Julia suffered severe head and body injuries, she did not die at the scene. She was left comatose at the K.H.M.H.  She was released after medical professionals recorded improvements, but two months after the incident she died. A post-mortem examination determined that Arana’s death was due to ‘acute cardio-respiratory failure and severe bilateral broncho-pneumonia.’ The results of the post-mortem caused police to not criminally charge Mai who freely provided a urine sample.  In court, Mai asserts that he was not speeding and that Julia ran across the highway in front of his vehicle. The family, however, believes otherwise and says that her death is directly linked to the incident.  The Arana family is seeking financial compensation for her death itself and all expenses related to the accident.  Their attorney, Sheena Pitts, spoke today after three days of hearings.

Hipolito Novelo

“Do you believe that you successfully established the link between the accident itself and her death because I believe the post mortem said that she died of some respiratory…broncho pneumonia? This is the reason why Mai was not criminally charged.”

Sheena Pitts

Sheena Pitts, Attorney for Nissan Arana

“No. No. No. You see, that is why we called two experts. If you recall we had two experts. We had Dr. Ken who got his license to practice to do post mortem examinations in 2014 and we got Dr. Hugh Sanchez who has been practicing for twenty eight years. So in relation to that post mortem examination report, the cause of death certificate, Dr. Sanchez was able to show that first and foremost what Dr. Ken had there as a cause of death is untenable. You heard Dr. Sanchez said that the most impressive cause of death is an instantaneous cause of that and an instantaneous cause of death is a saddle pulmonary thrombo-embolism. What that means is that there was a blood clot that came from the heart and that blood clot travelled to the lungs. When it went to the lungs it prevented life. She could not breathe. She could not sustain life. So what Dr. Sanchez showed you is that there is certain instantaneous causes of death and saddle pulmonary thrombo-embolism is an instantaneous cause of death. That is the cause of death as oppose to what Dr. Ken as acute respiratory cardiac failure. That just means is that the heart stopped work. The heart stopped work does not telling you what cause the heart to stop work. But what Dr. Sanchez to show you is that what cause Julia Arana to develop this clot in her heart. One, she was bed ridden. That means that she was immobile and when you are immobile you are predispose to blood clots. And you heard in there that the period of immobilization by Julia Arana was from the point, the date of the accident first of April, up until when she died. And so that, that predisposition by being immobilized for so long, that is what led to the cause of death. That is why she had the blood clot. That is why you heard Dr. Sanchez said in there quite unmoved by any suggestion that the immediate cause of death, the instantaneous cause of death is that saddle pulmonary thrombo-embolism.”