Freak Accident Victim Recovering

Julio Zetina

Julio Zetina, the Corozal Town resident, who fell from a crane earlier this week, remains hospitalized in Belize City. He underwent foot surgery on Tuesday and is on his way to making a full recovery. Zetina, along with this co-worker Germaine Rivera, was in a crane basket fixing a lamppost at Princess Vegas Hotel at the Belize/Mexico Border when the chains popped. The men fell to the ground and the hook block fell on Rivera’s head, killing him instantly. News Five’s Hipolito Novelo has an update on Zetina’s recovery.

Hipolito Novelo, Reporting

Contrary to reports, forty-six-year-old Corozal Town resident Julio Zetina is alive and healing quickly.

On the Phone: Hilda Nicholson, Sister of Julio Zetina

“He is at the special care unit at Belize Medical Associates. He is stable. He is conscious. He is recuperating. He underwent surgery for his right foot and leg on Tuesday night. He has severe fractures on his right foot and above his ankle. He underwent surgery for that. It was a lengthy surgery.”

Julio Zetina

Zetina is expected to make a full recovery. He will remain hospitalised for the next five days. Zetina received injuries to other parts of his body including a fracture to one of his vertebrae. And while he recovers physically, he is also working on overcoming the shock of being involved in a freak accident and seeing his friend and colleague pass away before his eyes.

On the Phone: Hilda Nicholson

“He has other fractures on his ribcage on the right side and he has a fracture on one of his vertebrae. He also has an injury on his forehead. But he is stable. He is doing very well although he was, he is still is very concern about his colleague’s family. He was in shock for quite a while. With our family support we have been issuing support and his friends as well. He is overcoming that shock.”

Zetina, along with Germaine Rivera, was on a crane basket repairing the lights on this lamppost when the iron chain snapped. The men fell and Rivera died instantly after the hook block fell on his head. Zetina, a licensed technician, had recently taken a job at Princess Vegas Hotel at the Belize/Mexico border.

On the Phone: Hilda Nicholson

“On Sunday he sent me a picture of me in his uniform. He had just recently gotten the job a few weeks ago. He was very proud because he was a licensed technician.  He was very happy because he was back in Corozal. I don’t know. Accidents are deemed tohappened in his world we live it. What he is saying is that something broke, the wire that they were working and both of them, he and his colleague that passed way, they fell. That is what happened really. In a blink of an eye.”

Princess Casinos International is helping both families with expenses. Reporting for News Five, I am Hipolito Novelo.