Esmond ‘Shorty’ Wright knocked down and killed
Esmond Wright
Another man lost his life at the start of the weekend in Belize City. Esmond Wright, who is well known as Shorty and a fixture at Travelers Bar was knocked down as he crossed the road to purchase fried chicken. Wright died on the spot when he was hit by a vehicle driven by Amrick Escobar who was heading into the City from the direction of Ladyville along with a female companion. Escobar, according to the police, was drunk and driving. Wright’s sudden death has been especially tough on family and friends, but he was also caregiver to a paralyzed man staying at his Belama residence. News Five’s Delahnie Bain reports.
Delahnie Bain, Reporting
The life of forty-three year old Esmond Wright came to a sudden and tragic end on Friday night. Wright was leaving Travelers Bar on bicycle to go across the highway to Friendship Restaurant when he was hit by a Dodge Avenger car.
Raphael Martinez, Police Press Officer
Raphael Martinez
“A fatality on Friday, the thirtieth November, at approximately eleven o’clock where police visited the area in front of Travelers Bar on the Philip Goldson highway where they saw the apparent lifeless form of a short, dark complexion male person lying face down on the highway with severe head and body injuries. When he was taken to the Karl Heusner, he was pronounced dead at about twelve o’clock midnight.”
Police have arrested the driver, who was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.
Amrick Escobar
Raphael Martinez
“Initial investigations reveal that at approximately ten-forty-five on the same night, twenty year old Amrick Escobar of Lords Bank was driving his vehicle towards the direction of—from Chetumal Street, towards the direction of the roundabout when, upon arriving in front of Travelers Bar, he knocked down forty-three year old Esmond Rudolph Wright of a Belama Phase three address. As I mentioned, he suffered severe head and body injuries and apparently died on the spot. Amrick Escobar has since been arrested and charged with Causing Death through Careless Conduct, Driving Without Due Care and Attention, Manslaughter by Negligence and Driving over the Prescribed Alcohol Limit.”
Witnesses say that Wright looked both ways to make sure nothing was coming and then headed across the road. But before he made it to the other side, the vehicle slammed into his mountain bike, sending Wright flying in the air. He reportedly landed far from the point of impact, which indicates the speed that Escobar was driving. Delahnie Bain for News Five.
Escobar appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith this morning and was represented by Attorney Michael Peyrefitte. He pleaded not guilty to driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention and driving a motor vehicle with alcohol concentration above the prescribed limit. No plea was taken for the charges of manslaughter by negligence, causing death by careless conduct since those offences will be death with on indictment. The Chief Magistrate granted bail of five thousand dollars; one thousand had to be paid in cash and a signed surety for the remaining four thousand. Escobar is due back in court on January twenty-second, 2013.
How many Belizeans have to be slaughtered by drunk drivers before GOB gets tough and starts to save lives?
I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it: driving drunk is morally the same as shooting a gun into a house. Sooner or latter you will kill someone, and you just don’t care. IT’S A KIND OF MURDER, AND MUST BE TREATED THAT WAY.
Needless to say, bail for this offense is an insult to the killed victim and all of the public.
25 years in prison upon conviction is not too harsh.
FURTHER POINT: GOB needs to make the FIRST drunk driving conviction painful — sell the car, since it is the instrument of crime, and suspend the privilege to drive for many months. Jail, too, of course.
Is there ANY civic organization that cares about protecting us from drunk drivers?
“Wright was leaving Travellors bar” I’m thinking, ” Who was drunk here”? I think the news and the police got it wring.. What happens with a drunk man on the street? I tell you, its not always what It looks like!
I don’t favor drunkenness by anyone, but it’s different when you’re drunk and propelling a 3,000-pound unguided missile down the street. That is homicide waiting for a victim. I’m with Storm, treat it like murder, and make the laws much more punitive for drunk drivers even if they do not kill anyone. Selling the car is a great idea.
If you’re drunk, simply don’t drive — take a taxi, sleep it off, or have a sober friend drive. Probably pretty good advice as the holiday party season is upon us.
This accident took place at a very busy spot on the highway. I wonder what it would cost to put up on “on demand” pedestrian crossing light there, where a pedestrian pushes a button on the light-stand, and then the light changes to let him cross safely. There are other equally busy areas on other highways that could use the same to save lives, and near busy school crossings, too. Pedestrian bridges are safer, I’m sure, but they are a lot more expensive.
Belizean seems to be taking the charge against the driver personally so much that he/she is willing to blame the victim. If you knew anything about the victim, you would know that he worked at Travellers bar doing errands and was always asked by people for favors (such as going to the store). Be careful whose side you choose to take and where you choose to cast your blame. Even if he was drunk, a sober driver would not have been travelling at the speed and the situation may have ended differently. No matter what you may think or what your relationship is with the driver, driving under the influence should never be encouraged.
@Bear, I agree on the point you made, but my question still remains: Arent drunk pedestrians making themselves vulnerable to accidents? I myself once picked up a man off the middle of the street. I saw how vehicles almost drove him over!!! I took him to the station
I knew this person and it pains my heart to see how he died . politics kills in Belize and this is one more case. the saga of accidents on this stretch of highway is long and deadly. people have been killed crossing the road going to church. the church had a pedestrian cross built. it was torn down when Berbey was paving that area of the road and it was never replaced. not even a median line is painted on this higway. Ariel Rosado lost his life 200 ft away. there are ancient traffic laws still on the books that make no sense.if you want to make a left turn in to Chetumal st. the laws says you must first pulled to the right shoulder of the road await for oncoming traffic to clear and the make your left turn. this is ridiculous. you will stay on the right of the road for an hour for the traffic to clear. so you see why I say the politicians the Ministers of transport, the head of the Transport Dept have this young man’s blood on their hands. RIP Shorty..
I have no idea whether the victim was intoxicated or not; An Observer suggests he may just have been running an errand. Regardless, the deadly problem is a drunk driver behind the wheel of a speeding car.
There is no question that alcohol (and drug) abuse is a real problem here in the Jewel, as it is in most of the world. I just read an item on internet news yesterday that said that 1 out of 7 drivers during the night in California has drugs in their system, and 1 out of 14 more is under the influence of alcohol. That’s scary, and they have harsher laws and better roads than we have. How bad must it be here!
I CALL ON OUR REPRESENTATIVES TO FOCUS SOME ENERGY AND BRAINPOWER TO THE PROBLEM, AND SAVE A FEW LIVES WITH COMPREHENSIVE NEW LAWS AGAINST DRUNK DRIVING.
@Belizean, one time I encountered a beggar in front of a bar, who asked for money for a meal. I told him I would do better, I’d go into a restaurant nearby and buy a meal for him. He turned down my offer, since he really just wanted the cash for — what? Since then I’ve donated to charities, not street beggars. Alcohol does a lot of destruction to human life; some people should just never take a drink.
@observed…Had you “OBSERVED’ that I support drunk driving?
@ An observer, good point. Atleast they all know this was not the victim’s fault now and he was a good guy. May his soul rest in peace.
Truth is that pedestrian ramp on the highway will only deter it, until someone flies over it, flips and end their own lives as well. I’ve witnessed too many times police observing bad driving habits and dont do anything. If we dont change this culture of bad driving, no amount of bumps will save lives. It only takes a few hundred yards to push 60+ miles and there are miles and miles of road in this country. From the Benny’s bump you can reach 70+ past Travellers, so whats the point, if we dont get drastic.
If this guy was drunk he should be imprisoned and start serving rehabilitation, mandatory detention until his trial. Thereafter he should be forced to rehab in prison unitl professionals determine that he is alcohol free and able to transition back into society, he committed a serious crime!!!!! If we dont take these steps bumps and lives wont ever matter period.
Anyway you look at it whether wright was drunk or not the driver is as at fault . That part of the highway between belize and the bridge is very dangerous i have seen vehicle traveling three wide at high speed and it all the time everyday until they find a way to slow the traffice down in that area it will continue to be a drangerous area and the more populated that are get the more accidents is going to happen there, the city is spreading time to enforce speed limt in that area.
Driving under the influence of alcohol is ridiculous,wrong .If you dont care about your own
life how is it possible that you would care about some one out there…Come on guyz no DUI
dont do unto other wat u wudnt want being done to you…Ketch a Taxi you had cash to get druck
save a 10 bills to reach home is that so hard….
So why doesn’t the drunken driver says anything about this???? He will suffer for taken a innocent man’s life