Punta Gorda Police Continue to Investigate Double Fatality on San Antonio Road
Jamie & Anthony Archer
The family of Jamie and Anthony Archer continue to grieve the tragic deaths of the two brothers. The siblings were heading to Punta Gorda when their car ran off the road and flipped several times causing their death. Two other persons were travelling in the vehicle; they survived and remain in the Southern Regional Hospital where they are being treated for the injuries sustained. It is not yet confirmed who was behind the wheel so police are awaiting the release from the hospital of the surviving persons. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
An investigation into the cause of a deadly road traffic accident along the Southern Highway on Tuesday evening has stalled, pending the recuperation of two victims who remained hospitalized in critical, but stable condition. The mishap claimed the lives of brothers Jamie and Anthony Archer when the vehicle in which they were traveling careened and flipped multiple times before coming to rest on the shoulder of the San Antonio Road.
Joseph Myvett
ACP Joseph Myvett, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch
“Shortly before six p.m., Punta Gorda police were called to an area between miles twelve and thirteen, near the San Marcos junction in the Toledo District, where upon arrival they observed a grey in color Toyota car extensively damaged on the left hand side of the road. They also observed three persons outside of the vehicle with varying degrees of injuries. Those persons were later learned to be Anthony Archer, twenty-seven-years, Darian Romero, twenty-years and Jerry Cruz, seventeen-years, all of the Toledo District.”
Missing from the initial account of persons injured in the accident was twenty-eight-year-old Jamie Archer, an older sibling of Anthony Archer. Upon learning that his brother was missing, Glenford Archer returned to the scene of the mishap. He told News Five what happened next.
Glenford Archer
Glenford Archer, Brother of Deceased Victims
“When I reached on the scene, the vehicle, there was no coming back from that. That’s it. We turned the vehicle over trying to locate Jamie. After we turned the vehicle over, we realized that he was not in it so we started to do a general search on both sides of the street and I would say about ten to twenty minutes in the search, the officer located him on the right hand side of the road, facing down like, I don’t know if he was flung there or he ran over there and just collapsed.”
According to police, the Toyota Corolla was headed in the direction of Punta Gorda Town at the time of the incident.
ACP Joseph Myvett
“Initial police investigation revealed that the vehicle was traveling in a southerly direction when apparently the driver lost control. Police further searching the area of the scene after receiving information later, shortly around 8:30 p.m. that night discovered the apparent lifeless body of Jamie Archer, twenty-eight-years-old, also of the Toledo District whose body was taken to the Punta Gorda Hospital where it was pronounced dead on arrival. So far the police are unable to determine who the driver is, as the other two occupants, Darian Romero and Jerry Cruz both remain in critical condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.”
The grief-stricken mother, Lupita Palma-Mangar, shared with us the emotional toll the loss has had on her family.
Lupita Palma-Mangar
Lupita Palma-Mangar, Mother of Deceased Victims
“It’s hard, it’s really hard, heartbreaking, you know, to lose two of your children at the same time. I never thought something like this, you know, a tragedy like this would really happen to us. But as I say, I believe in God and I know that He will lead me on and give me the strength to carry on, me and my family, to deal with this.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
