Corozal Student Passes Seven Weeks after Ranchito Village R.T.A.  

Jaheem Williams

Seventeen-year-old Jaheem Williams, a student from Corozal, has passed away. Natticia Williams received the tragic news of her son’s passing this morning. He has been fighting for his life for the past seven weeks, after being involved in a tragic road traffic accident that had already claimed the life of another student. The death toll for that accident has now increased to two; two male students now deceased following a collision between a busito that they were travelling in and an ambulance. But, was Jaheem’s death avoidable? When his situation worsened a couple days ago, Jaheem’s mother had no other option but to travel to Mexico to seek medication for her son. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

On October twelfth, seventeen-year-old Jaheem Williams was on his way home from the Belize Adventist Junior College in Calcutta Village when the busito he was in collided head-on into an ambulance. Jorge Vargas, a twenty-one-year-old student who was travelling in the same busito perished in that accident. But, Williams survived and has been fighting for his life since, until this morning when his mother received the tragic news of his passing.

Natticia Williams

Natticia Williams, Mother of Jaheem Williams

“Jaheem was responsive for a while, they woke him up his eyes was open. I honestly don’t know what went wrong. Like day before yesterday I came to the hospital and they told me that they have found a bacteria in his lungs and he was passing it through his urine as well and they had to put him in isolation because they are not sure if it was contagious or not. They had to put him under a new antibiotic. Like always, there is none. So, I had to do it on myself again, get the prescription and I went to Chetumal yesterday.  Went to Chetumal, I located that anti-biotic at Clinica Carrnazza, they had to order it at Merida. So, I had to pay and go pick it up at one o’clock. So when I got the news about Jaheem passing this morning, I was on the bus six thirty this morning. The bus didn’t leave as yet it was still at the terminal. They called me and told me that he passed; I just jumped on the bus and came over here.”

Natticia Williams has been by her son’s side since the time of the accident. He was hospitalized in a coma, and recently she gained new hope for his recovery when he became responsive. But, only two days ago, his condition took a turn for the worse and, according to the grieving mother, K.H.M.H. was not in possession of the life-saving medication. So, she had to travel across the border to purchase what she needed to save her son. Today, she was asked if any blame should be laid on the hospital.

Natticia Williams

“Somewhat that is true, but like I said we are not sure how bad he was nuh. So I can’t say it was that. I don’t want to say that, I don’t want to bash them and I don’t know what is the real story behind that, so we just have to wait and see what the postmortem comes out as. Right now it is really rough, as people watch me now and say this lady strong, but I am tearing up inside. I am still in disbelief, but when I went there this morning I stood there in the room with Jaheem and I watched him and Jaheem looked normal to me. Every day I come here and that is how I see him, until when I see them, until they wheel him out in that body bag then I could say that he gone.”

No charges have been levied against any of the drivers involved in the accident, according to Williams. She informed reporters that the last update she received was that the Director of Public Prosecution is yet to hand down instructions for charges to be levied. Her family is now seeking legal advice on how to move forward.

Natticia Williams

“From the understanding I have gotten when I reached out to the officer in Corozal he had told me that they had passed the file to the DPP and they are doing a thorough investigation before they can point the finger on who is wrong. So, they have not come to a decision as yet. So, I just have to wait until they have finalized that. I have spoken to our families and we are trying to see if we can get some legal advisory on this situation. Like I said, Jaheem was like yours aid at the right place at the wrong time. I am just, lost right now. I don’t know what to say or what to do. I am just trying to get some legal help.”

She says, Jaheem will be remembered for his respectability and happiness.

Reporting For News Five I am Paul Lopez.