Five year old killed in traffic accident
Sonia Diaz
The community of San Martin in the Belmopan area is grieving the tragic death of five year old Sonia Diaz. The school girl was crushed by a Bowen and Bowen truck as she headed back to school; she died instantly. Her classmates and teachers are stunned by the fatality. News Five’s Marion Ali has details of the tragic traffic accident.
The flag flew at half staff at Kuxlin Ha Government School in Belmopan this afternoon after one of its students was killed while heading back to school after lunch.
Marion Ali
“Reports are that five year old Sonia Diaz had just left home and was riding a bicycle on St Luke’s Road heading towards school shortly after one this afternoon when a Crystal truck selling water reversed, crushing her.”
Maria Bah was inside her house on Saint Luke’s Road in the San Martin Area of Belmopan when her young neighbor was run over right in front of her house. She said she learned that the accident happened when someone stopped a Crystal truck to purchase water.
Maria Bah
Maria Bah, Neighbor of Deceased
“Ih di rush like ih wah hurry. Ih seh like when ih hear somebody di halla that deh wah water, dah so ih reverse. I deh eena my kitchen when my lee bway tell me because I di send him dah school. And when he di come outside and he tell me, mommy wah girl get knocked down. And I tell ahn dah who? And then I hurry run and when I reach right yah when I see the baby girl deh under the truck dead. I know the little girl because she come buy tortilla with me. And I know her exactly. As I see her I done know who is this little girl.”
Little Sonia Diaz started attending school last year and was in infant one. Reports from the school staff are that this morning she was hugging her friends and that this afternoon she was bringing back a rose for her teacher, Karen Arango, when she was run over. It is an incident that Sonia’s neighbor says was waiting to happen because of speeding vehicles on Saint Luke’s Road.
Maria Bah, neighbor of deceased
“When they pass, they fly past and tell my daughter several times; I don’t know why they drive fast because they wah reach which part they want to reach. That dah weh I tell my daughter because lot of dust and like this, that dah weh I tell my daughter too suppose they get—accident could happen because dehn drive fast.”
Marion Ali
“Police have since impounded the vehicle…Marion Ali, News Five, Belmopan.”
That driver, Albert Maskall, was charged with Manslaughter by Negligence, Causing Death by Careless Conduct and Driving without Due Care and Attention.
This is so sad and tragic. Throw the book at this driver. Ppl still don’t get that driving is a privilege. RIP, little angel.
Sure it was neligence on the driver’s part but the parents should also be charged. Who in their right mind would allow a 5 year old to ride to school? Children are gifts from God and we must be able to act as responsible parents. At five years, i never allowed my children out of my eyesight as anything can happen in a split second. That little girl should have ben escorted to school and back. the law needs to enforce stiff penalties for parents who engage in this reckles parenting style. There are many people out there who would be more than happy to have a child and be more responsible.
JAIL him….3 categories of drivers I have NO regards for:
1…Taxi driver
2…Bus driver
3….Coke-truck driver
they drive like crazy, stop wherever the want to and disrupt traffic and it seem they have the traffic officials in control, rather than the other way around….Jail him
what a tragedy to a little school girl. I’ve got a son who just started pre-school and My wife take him to school due to the same care they need, they are babies and might not see the risk they run. some drivers are careless but jeez this is hard to read and the feeling of a brocken heart imagine it was mine, let the Lord have her in His loving arms. R.I.P little angel.
it is hard for me comprehend how a mother can send such small child riding a bicycle to school, as far as I know an infant one student is still a baby, that need guidance, I have seem so many mothers take their time day after day taking and picking up their children from school, especially the first year,
I know the driver well have seen drive around and he is always careful. So i wonder what happen!!!
Its sad, but some of the blame lies squarely on the mother.
Justice,
How would you charge the parents?? There is one thing you fail to understand, we are a working class people. Everyone here has to work inorder to put food on the table and to pay babysitter. These people are not getting a big salary to drive their kids to school. Infact, i think that the mother works as a school teacher. She travels to DUCK RUN 3 everyday. Every kid in the rural belmopan areas walk to school.
I truly feel the loss of this little girl, as both her father and mother are well known to me. First off however, and like in most stories, there are a couple of things that have not been mentioned in this case. The body of the little child was in the center line of the truck lenghtwise, and as such was in the drivers blind spot, as he could not see immediately behind him. Second, he had just stopped to offer water to one client, and was about to take off, when he was beckoned by a second client, and the total distance that he reversed the truck was only about 10 yards, probably less, and in those few unfortunate seconds, the child happened to be directly behind the truck . . . if it was anybodys fault, I would have to blame the helper, as it was his duty to alight the vehicle, and direct the driver as to where he must reverse. I am not saying that speeding does not occur on the roads in the San Martin Area, but this incident was not caused by one of those occasions. ( On another note, here is a call to any teacher who may read this post, and to parents also, please teach your children the correct way to travel on, and to cross, roads and streets, as lately, it seems that all vehicular traffic should stop and render the right of way to pedestrians, as both children and adults refuse, and sometimes offensively so, to walk along the edge of the road and leave space for vehicles.) Rest in Peace, Sonia. I know you are in heaven, and that is a special sort of solace.
This is a real shock! I am calling out for the City Council to put better measures on traffic. These drivers drive for themselves and don’t care about pedestrian. On my street so many of them drives
so fast. Some of them are always drunk, some of them just don’t have any sense. And we can stop people from walking on streets everybody needs to go out to school or work. Many of the neigbours
did not like the idea so they made up their own speed bump, it was for the safety of our children. But City council came and remove them. Now the streets are open and these drivers don’t care. Maybe City council don’t like the idea for us to put dirt bumps on the street but they don’t do nothing to help
the community.
@ Justice: you dnt know nothing so you should just leavet the comments to yourself. news are news they never get the right information you just going on what you hearing. were you there? Nope! she was always escorted by her grandma & some times by her dad. Things happen and when accident will happen you cant prevent it from happening God knows why he took her with him. As she is in heaven with God. She was a happy lil girl always happy and always smiling. s you are not to blame anyone. Not even the mother is blaming other and you are…
I totally agree with belizean born, maybe the child was in the driver’s blind spot, my concern is, if the mother was teaching so far away, i am sure she left that baby in the care of somebody!!!
The other thing i notice the child was riding a big bicycle, next it was ater 1PM, why was she going to school so late? There are so many unanswered question.
However the child is heaven with Jesus Christ of Nazareth, for he said his kingdom belong to the children
@ justice:
were you there? ofcourse not! so u should be blaming anyone. not even the baby mother is blaming anyone and you are. NEWS NEWS NEWS the never get the right info they just going by heary so. you dont know nothing about the parent of the baby. She works like 25 miles or more to go and teach As she is a teacher. she works hard to spend every second she have with her three kids. you cant be judging people if u dnt know them and u got the bad info and stats she was always escorted by her grandmom and sometimes by her dad. When something will happen it will happen you cant prevent it. The good Lord knows why he took her with him. She is in heaven with God RIP baby girl we love you and u will always be in our heart
Wow! how sad for this to occur but I pray that God will comfort and stregthen the family of this precious child. I believe we need to learn from this experience for all. Blaming anyone now changes nothing, it wont bring her back. But let us learn from this experience and see how improvements can be made. God let your peace be with all those who have been affected by the death of this angel.
mmh! You see this now! We people try to fine an answer to everything blaming tom dick and harry but , have u ever put your shelf in the shoe . What if it was your child ? or what if u were the driver ? what if you were the helper? mmmh…..tricky true.!
People I feel pain for the lost of the child and it hurts to see how we point our fingers at people.
I do not let my child go around the corner alone to buy now much to go school alone especially in this kind of life we are living.
didn’t you hear that the truck was already leaving when someone stop the truck ! so who in the world to blame the buyer also! cause if he/she wouldn’t have stop the driver suddenly nothing would have happen!!!!!!!
Im sorry because knowing the guy who drives i don’t think he meant it , no body trying to earn an honest living would want to commit such crime.
Another thing children gets idle many times you and maybe the child got where not even the driver nor sideman could have seen her so you all who like to point finger put yourself in that time of situation.
Look also at bikers who are up and down the highway , they also are a treat to divers , sometime you see they actually want to take over the road and who we blame the drivers.
some of us people convict without evidence and that’s totally wrong ..
“that lady whee she i house get dust lady u fine dust every where and them truck big so u must expect a lot of dust.
who them need fu convict and throw the key away da them parents and them man who di rape them own pickni..
Sorry, people say all sorts of things. But please not that the child is not in heaven yet. She went to sleep but for sure, sleep to wakeup for eternal life when Jesus Comes again. We all hope that
her name is written in the book of life for she was only a child going to church too. ” The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose is in his unfailing love….Psalms 33.18
First of all i really feel the loss of this little angel. No body would want this to happen to their child. nor do i think the driver expected this tradegy. things happen so we should lear not to point or blame any one in this situation.. im not taking anyones side. i really really feel the loss of this little angel. i know she is on the “Lords” hands. we are humans we feel the loss of our loved ones. i supose if the customer would’nt have hailed the truck man this would’nt have happened but as i tell u thing happen .. so let us learn from this. i know we love our kids. they are everything for us. and please to all driver, let us be carefull. even us parents who have vehicles. we need to be carefull at home and outside when driving – reversing. may God bless us all and may this lovely little angel RIP. My condolecence to the family.
IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE A FIVE (5) YEAR OLD RIDING A BIKE ON THE PUBLIC STREET UNSUPERVISED…….but that’s just me.
This is so sad. I have a four year old daughter and i also work but i would never sent her to school by herself. We need to stop blaming each other and take responsibility for our actions so that this kind of tragedy does not occur again. I believe the mother is a responsible parent and she didn’t intentionally or occasionally send her 5year old child to school by herself but something happen that she could not get a adult to take her that day. No mother would wish that on her child. I think we should come up with a amicable solution and see this does not happen again.
First of all my condolence to this little angel family,
We humans do mistake,errors and many other terrible acts but there is only one that has the RIGHT to say or do anything at anytime;and that is God.Whatever we say will not bring her to life again,but what we parents MUST learn from this accident is to be more careful with what we sooooooooo treasure in life(our children).In life nothing is forever,so just remember what we love soooooooooo much in life must be treated with care and FULL RESPONSIBILITY.May Sonia rest in Peace and may the lord console these parents.
So sad to know that the sun stopped to shine.
It seems like the child was sent alone to school with no supervision? A 5 year old kid has to be watched until they enter into their classroom. I also must say that there are to much neglect in driving these days. Especially passenger buses, taxis and freight trucks
I don’t know when the Bowen Company and now the BNE trucks will their speed be tied down to 45 mph. These trucks when driving on the Highway pass every vehicles on the road. The butane little trucks are even worst. Something has to be done to the drivers of these delivery vehicles. The buses on the road are also very dangerous also… Please punish these drivers because they know better. We cannot blame the business owners for the stupidity of their workers, because they are independent out there but myself a driver also have managed to move out of some of these trucks and buses way otherwise I would have already rottened in burial ground because they would have already killed me. I have escaped from Bowen trucks, Buses, Butane delivery trucks, Taxi men and even some tortilla vehicles. In Belmopan we are not far from hearing that a food delivery person has died from crash. Yess those motorcycle delivery guys are driving like mad, as if a million dogs are racing behind them to take away the fry chicken or pizza from them. Real thing, sorry!!!