Fatal Collision Up North Claims the Lives of an Uncle and Nephew
We begin our newscast tonight with a tragedy up north where two persons lost their lives in a fatal road traffic accident. It happened around four-thirty this morning, near San Antonio Village in Orange Walk District. Investigation has revealed that a police vehicle, driven by Jose Paz, ordered the driver of a dump truck to stop. That driver, forty-two-year-old Sheldon Meighan, complied and pulled up behind the police vehicle which was parked to the right side of the road when travelling toward San Antonio Village. A Caribbean Chicken Limited freight line truck carrying chickens came up from behind and collided into the dump truck which subsequently crashed into the police pickup truck. Driving the freight line truck at the time was twenty-six-year-old Jeremy Portillo; he died on impact. Travelling along with him were his uncle, thirty-eight-year-old Cornelio Magana and his eighteen-year-old son Isair Magana. Both Cornelio and Isair were rushed to the Northern Regional Hospital, but Cornelio later succumbed to his injuries while Isair is said to be in a stable condition.
Duane Moody, Reporting
The village of San Felipe in the Orange Walk District is mourning the death of two of its residents and praying for the recovery of another, following a fatal road traffic accident this morning on the road leading to San Antonio Village. Cornelio Magana and his nephew Jeremy Portillo were travelling in a Caribbean Chicken freight line truck along with Magana’s son, Isair Magana, when they crashed into the rear of a dump truck parked on the side of the road. Cornelio and Portillo lost their lives; Isair is in a stable condition at the Northern Regional Hospital. The news of the double fatal has residents in San Felipe in shock.
Ricardo Dominguez
Ricardo Dominguez, Vice Chairman, San Felipe
“We noh got words to say on this because we’ve been living with them all our lives and I know the man has been working every day bringing food to the family. Uncle and nephew that passed away and his son was involved on that. I live right in front of a house that he delivers chicken. I hear them every morning, three o’clock in the morning that they are delivering chicken to those people. It’s something sad that nothing can repair this loss.”
Caribbean Chicken Limited has since posted on its social media page extending deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased men. All three travelling in the company vehicle were employed with the company for some time now; Cornelio for almost twenty years, Portillo eight and Isair for over a year. The men had reported to work around three that morning and were delivering chickens to San Antonio and Orange Walk Town when the deadly accident occurred.
Ricardo Dominguez
“He had a plan of opening a bakery. Just Wednesday or Thursday, we had the closing of the school and he provided them with some pizza and stuff like that. And even though I see the kids that he has selling breads and stuff like that, but he is a person that he’s been working and he has other plans to do for his family to have them better. This is something sad because a lot of people that don’t have a plan of living that are killing themselves, nothing happens to them. So this is sad for the village too. We need to support the family because we are humans in this and that’s a person that is never looking for trouble. He is always working, working, working for their family. And right now is the time for everybody to put a grain of sand to help the people.”
News Five spoke with Magana’s wife, Elida who says that the family was too distraught to give an interview at this time. Vice Chair of the San Felipe Village Council Ricardo Dominguez says that Magana was well-liked in the village and had plans to open a bakery in the village.
Ricardo Dominguez
“He had a plan of opening a bakery. Just Wednesday or Thursday, we had the closing of the school and he provided them with some pizza and stuff like that. And even though I see the kids that he has selling breads and stuff like that, but he is a person that he’s been working and he has other plans to do for his family to have them better. This is something sad because a lot of people that don’t have a plan of living that are killing themselves, nothing happens to them. So this is sad for the village too. We need to support the family because we are humans in this and that’s a person that is never looking for trouble. He is always working, working, working for their family. And right now is the time for everybody to put a grain of sand to help the people.”
Travelling in the police mobile along with Jose Paz were Police Constables Daniel Chata, Arziel Arzu, and Kaylin Fernandez – all of whom escaped unhurt. Urine samples were taken for testing from Paz and Sheldon Meighan, the driver of the dump truck. Duane Moody for News Five.
