Promising student loses life in road accident
Evan Garnett Jr.
There have been about thirty fatal traffic accidents since the beginning of the year and on Saturday there was another traffic fatality to add to the growing list. A promising S.J.C. sixth form student was killed near mile eleven on the Phillip Goldson Highway. Evan Garnett Junior was driving his car heading home to the Los Lagos community when he ran off the highway and crashed into an abandoned bus at about four o’clock on Saturday morning. Hours later, students gathered in an impromptu vigil to celebrate the life of their beloved friend. Duane Moody reports.
Friend of Deceased
“On behalf of Evan and everybody dah Los Lagos and Boom; that we know that Evan’s dead right now, but I hope his soul rest in peace. I hope he didn’t go out in pain. The way I saw Evan this morning, it is just really, really, really, sad. I just hope you rest in peace, Ev.”
Duane Moody, Reporting
Former classmates and close friends gathered in front of the Krem Compound on Partridge Street where they grieved over the death of Evan Garnett Junior. Signs and memorabilia on the fence and candles, an impromptu vigil was held by the group who shared their fondest memories of Garnett Junior.
Friend of Deceased
“On behalf of you guys, I want to thank you all for coming out and showing your respects…and I guess I could start with the prayers and keep it short and sweet to give his family the strength to move on from a very devastating, life-changing event. It is something none of us expected, but we ask the almighty father to bless us with the strength and courage to accept that Evan’s not here anymore.”
Amal Bonner
Amal Bonner, Friend of Deceased
“I would just like to thank god for blessing us with Evan’s smile and happy presence that he always brought around no matter what. He would always find a way to put a smile on your face. With just his smile he didn’t have to say anything and just want to say may his soul rest in peace cause I know he died happy. We just have to live through his name and make him proud.”
Friend of Deceased
“Miss Jacinta…I am a part of the Kremandala Organization for many years due to the Raiders Basketball Team. Evan “Duck” Garnett was a close personal friend. I cannot explain his sadness at this point, I have no words to explain what he is feeling. Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and Miss Jacinta is like a sister. Mister Evan X Hyde taught me a lost…Mose, Cordel, Money Mike and I’ve walked behind the zinc fence for many years. It is unfortunate to see…it’s like a son. I’ve lost a son.”
“Duck,” as he was affectionately known by his family and friends, was a past student of Saint John’s College Junior College and was the grandson of Evan X Hyde, the publisher of the Amandala. Garnett Junior died in a horrific traffic accident on Saturday morning. He was reportedly heading to his home in Los Lagos in a white 2006 Honda Accord car when upon reaching miles eleven on the Phillip Goldson Highway, he lost control of vehicle and slammed head on into the remains of a passenger bus that was parked in a junk yard.
ASP Christopher Noble, Rural Executive Officer, Police Department
“Visiting the scene, a single vehicle apparently collided into what is the remains of a passenger bus parked off the opposite side of the highway. The lone male individual that was in the vehicle succumbed and has been taken to the morgue. Our preliminaries are that we are unsure or uncertain as to what may have caused it. We are still looking into the possibility of why he veered off the road or what may have caused him to veer off the road. Whether or not he was socializing, one has to put in factors such as being weary on the road, but not ruling out other aspects of one’s personal life.”
While the cause of the accident is still unknown, News Five understands that Garnett Junior was socializing at the Ramada Belize City Princess before heading home. The accident occurred something after four a.m. Duane Moody for News Five.
Everyone is dancing around the issue because of the prominence of the family and the family themselves being media personnel – but at some point, we need to face the facts: Drinking and driving is a serious problem in Belize. When coupled with the fact that we have poor roads with lots of curves it is a recipe for carnage! This young man lost his life and its so sad and tragic but the fact remains that he could have also taken more lives with him. Its possible that he fell asleep, and its possible he was intoxicated too. And all those little school friends who gather around in his memory should also ask themselves, why, if they say they loved their friend so much, did they let him get behind the wheel under the influence at 4 am knowing the distance he had to drive.
He was drunk
Duck, my friend, I guess we can take comfort knowing that you got to spend some time seeing the colors of nature and breathing that fresh cool mountain air and being loved. RIP Duck.
Now for some cold hard facts: Belize does not have any highways. This is not an opinion. It is a fact. Three generations of Belizeans have know grown up with that appellation, and it’s just one more thing to kill us after diabetes and cancer. Duck got on the road at 4 in the morning and, like every other casualty so far this year, thought to himself, “All right,, now I’m on the highway!! Let’s see some speed.” Well, not. You can take one look at a highway and recognize it. It will have four lanes more often than not, with berms, it will be designed for speed, it will have heavy guardrails, and reflectors and centerlines, and big signage, and it probably won’t have neglected potholes.
The British had to make us feel the love and (and the investment) and so inculcated in us that idea that the colony now had “Highways.” Wow! We’re moving up. And of course everyone who wanted to believe, including the media, took it and ran with it. This has hit home, Mr. Hyde. Instruct your writers, command them, to be accurate: The Northern Road, the Southern Road, the Western Road, and the Hummingbird Road. Don’t feel diminished. They are honorable roads. An even better nomenclature would be the Northern IDR* et al, but no Belize government can wrap their mind around that considering that the one in power just reinforced the ‘highway’ jingle with the brand new important-sounding The George Price Highway and The Philip Goldson Highway. It’s like telling your friends after a night out that you must now return to your mansion. Yeah sure, you feel better about yourself, but guess what, you’re returning to your home. It’s not a mansion, it’s a home, but there’s no place like it. How many more innocent people have to die? Highway=Speed. *Inter-District Road
goverment prefers to give away money (still I believe MOTHERS DESERVE BETTER than foolish 50 or 100 dollars)instead of send to fix the proclamed “HIGHWAYS” that are killing people and leaving Mothers without their sons.I dont know how Belizean People could beard all this madness from a corrupt peoplewho prays working for a better BELIZE .
goverment prefers to give away money (still I believe MOTHERS DESERVE BETTER than foolish 50 or 100 dollars)instead of send to fix the proclamed “HIGHWAYS” that are killing people and leaving Mothers without their sons.I dont know how Belizean People could beard all this madness from a corrupt peoplewho prays working for a better BELIZE .Also if he was drunk or not he made that decission to drive. Question where was their “friends”to allowed him to drive like that .I had a situation with a friend who wanted to drive drunk I never allowed him to do that so he get mad at me ,I told him to prefer him no talking to me for a good period of time (about 6 months)than go to his funeral,and believe me here on U.S.A there are big highways.
Does not matter the conditions of the Highway if you are drunk!! Rather than calling the Gov’t to fix the highway, call on legislation and enforcement of laws regarding drinking and driving. Agree with Kae…blood should be on the hands of the “friends” that allowed him to drive home drunk.
No law in Belize. Most people obtain their drivers license because of who they know. If you work in a different department in Belize I just call the head of motor vehicle and say my son need a license send his picture and that’s it. No rules and regulation. Bus drivers drive buses because parents own the buses put everyone at risk.
Who do safety check on those buses? Who teaches the rules? I see children in villages driving as young as 9 years old and the parents laugh when they drive on the highway.
It’s sad, because I know his father, mother and step father. Please don’t defile or crucify the young man. None of us knows the facts as to what happened. At 4 am in the morning and coming from Princess, we assume he’d been drinking. As recently as last week, I posted a comment about the condition of that Northern highway, especially between Sandhill and Belize City, more-so Ladyville and the city. I also talked about the importance of seat belts and how we put anything in the form of vehicles on the highway, specifically these dilapidated buses operated by political flunkies. Point two; there’s a lot of irresponsible underage drinking in Belize. Whenever I visit Belize I notice these kids go out to the sea wall and spend all night drinking. They go to the clubs, males and females alike and let it all hang out. As recently as a few weeks ago, visiting the club in Princess, intoxicated young women were rubbing and kissing each other. We talk about illegal drugs but alcohol is one of the worst drug which was made legal by society. It impairs our judgment and reflexes tremendously. Also, as a grown man, an ugly female, or a woman of questionable character ,(I apologize) somehow looks attractive after getting intoxicated. This leads to questionable actions, i.e. sex or even sexual assault. Where are our parents who should be educating these kids about drug and alcohol usage? I talk to my teenage son about drinking, even though he hasn’t started as yet and implore him not to follow the crowd. I hope he’s reading this and take this tragic incident as an example. He thinks I’m hard on him when I stay upon him and don’t cut him any slack in areas such as his education and being ambitious. Let’s pray for this young man and his family. I understand from a friend of mine that this is the second child his father has lost. My condolences.