Car rear ends bus, student seriously injured
It’s the scene of many fender benders but this afternoon the Western Highway’s intersection with Western Avenue was the site of a serious accident. According to Tillett’s Bus driver Emelio Soler, he was heading to Corozal following a school trip to Spanish Lookout and Old Belize but as he made the left turn, a car driven by Belize City student Scott Castillo rear ended him. Castillo escaped from the crash with minor injuries but his passenger, Dheeraj Gidwani, wasn’t so lucky and was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Up to news time Gidwani was still receiving emergency care. According to bus passenger Orchid Willoughby, she saw Castillo and his friends at Old Belize a few minutes before the collision.
Orchid Willoughby, Bus Passenger
“Ih jerk and den ih almost like ih almost wahn tun ova with wi.”
Janelle Chanona
“Did you hear any noise like to say the young man was speeding?”
Orchid Willoughby
“Wich one?”
Janelle Chanona
“The car”
Orchid Willoughby
“We neva yehr but den aal we know dat di vehicle come into di bus wen di bus mi di turn. Cause he gi di signal fu come een dis way yah ahn da car kohn right behind.”
Janelle Chanona
“How you know he gi di signal?”
Orchid Willoughby
“Because when ih slow dong, cause he mi slow dong aredi. Wen he slow dong he gi ih signal fu turn een and den dehn one mi di kohn frahn little Belize all togeda wid us to. Soh dehn di one weh kohn into di bus”
Janelle Chanona
“Soh di car was part of your excursion?”
Orchid Willoughby
“Noh, dehn mi di kohn right behind we cause dehn mi drunk aredi. Sohn young bwai, sohn young youth; dehn mi di drink aredi yoh know?”
Arrilon Young, Construction Worker
“Wen I kohn I jus kohn by di car kohn si weh happen, if dehn straight. But den I si di next bally like he done di nak owt. I si like ih brains di come owta ih head. Soh I tell dehn bally we hav to tek ah out, soh we tek out ah. Wah man kohn wid wah pick-up and seh mek wi put ah inna fu he pick-up ahn he wah ker ah dah hospital.”
Scott, Gidwani and their friends had spent the day at Old Belize as part of a school Beach Day event. Those at the scene of the accident maintain that Scott was not drinking before getting behind the wheel.
