Driver charged in near fatal traffic accident on Boom/Hattieville Road

Godfrey Garcia

It has been a month since a near fatal traffic accident occurred on the Burrell Boom/Hattieville Road. As many as four vehicles were involved and five persons were injured. The driver of the vehicle was served with a notice of intended prosecution in September. But on Wednesday, that driver, Godfrey Garcia, was escorted to the Belize City Magistrate’s Court to answer to five traffic offenses: four counts of negligent wounding upon traffic accident victims, Michael Waight, a Special Constable and resident of Burrell Boom, Joseph Segura, Winston Summons and Deisy Cortez. Garcia was additionally charged for driving Motor Vehicle without Due Care and Attention. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and was offered bail in the sum of five thousand; Garcia’s next court date is set for November twenty-second, 2013.  Reports are that the near death traffic accident unfolded when a vehicle first flipped on a dark stretch of road near the dump site and then two other vehicles with passengers decided to stop to render help when just seconds later, another vehicle came around a curve and collided into the first vehicle. That vehicle turned out to be an SUV allegedly driven by Garcia. He hit a man who was attempting to slow down traffic.  The SUV then slammed into one of the parked vehicles before hitting four other persons standing on the side of the road.