A four-year-old child and her aunt are dead following a traffic collision on the T.V. Ramos Highway near Cow Pen Village on Saturday. The victims were in a parked car on the roadside when an NBC bus drove into them. News Five’s Shane Williams reports from the scene of the accident.
Shane Williams
Shane Williams, Reporting
“Right here on the T.V. Ramos Highway is where a Saturday night journey home turned deadly. Four-year-old Taleeni Garbutt and her aunt Elaine Sherri Mejia were killed when an NBC bus collided into a car they were travelling in from Independence Village. Today we spoke with Taleeni’s grandfather, who is mourning her loss, while police try to determine exactly what caused this deadly collision.”
According to the family, the group was travelling from Independence toward Dangriga when they stopped on the side of the highway for a break.
Walton Garbutt Sr.
Walton Garbutt Sr., Grandfather of Deceased
“I was in Belize City when I got a call around, I think, 6:45 towards 7:00 in the evening. My daughter-in-law, the person you’re speaking to here, indicated that there was an accident, but she was so confused and mixed up that she couldn’t tell me any more detail. Only that she and my granddaughter were together. All those areas are pretty dark. There’s no lighting, absolutely no lighting, I don’t think, before you get to San Juan or then when you get towards the road – towards Bella Vista, and then down to Independence – before you have any lighting. So it’s a relatively dark area. And there were lots of rain over the weekend, and so those definitely could contribute.”
Garbutt Senior says the family was initially left with little information after receiving word of the crash. He knows the area where the collision occurred was dark, with no street lighting. It was a rainy night and a straight stretch of road where drivers are prone to speeding, but he stopped short of placing blame on the bus driver.
Walton Garbutt Sr.
“There is a pretty straight road. Mm-hmm. So many vehicles would tend to drive over the speed limit of 55, but they drive 60, 70, and in the night, and the buses are pretty heavy and pretty hard to stop. But I would not at the same time attribute blame to anyone. I’m just saying that what is normal is the buses drive at a high speed… and if they come up on a dark spot where there’s a vehicle, they may not see it. The rest is history, accident.”
The National Bus Company has since issued condolences to the families of the two people killed. NBC says the safety of its passengers, employees and all road users remains a priority and that it will cooperate fully with authorities investigating the crash. Police say the NBC bus was being driven by 53-year-old Victor Ical of Medina Bank Village.
ASP Stacy Smith
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
“Garbutt and Mejia, along with three other persons, were on board a Toyota corolla car travelling in a northerly direction and a bus belonging to the National Bus company was travelling in the opposite direction. A collision occurred between these two vehicles. A urine sample has been obtained from the driver of the bus as well as a notice of intended prosecution has been served on him. The exact circumstances of the collision has not been shared with me as yet. It is a matter that is under investigation. However, as I indicated, the driver of the bus has been served with a notice of intended prosecution. I believe he was communicating and he has been cooperative so his version of events will also form part of the case file.”
The blue car was carrying six people, four adults and two children. The survivors have been identified as Alston Hopp, the driver; Aveon Choc; Risa Bol; and Walton Garbutt Jr, who lost his daughter Taleeni.
Walton Garbutt Sr.
“People are inclined to give you all praises. But I have seven children, six sons and a daughter, and I have to reflect very hard to find out if any of them was as sweet as she was. She’s the type of picture you look at and you can’t but love her. She’s extremely affectionate, friendly. You know, there are children that you meet and they run away from you. She’s different. She would be a child that’s easy to steal. She was that type of person and so that is probably hardest part for the father, the mother, the relatives, and of course, the grandparents.”
Sherri Mejia was the spouse of the driver, Alston Hopp, who remains hospitalised. Walton Garbutt Jr. will undergo surgery for a broken left foot. Three-year-old Aveon was discharged from the Southern Regional Hospital today and will require follow-up with an orthopedist. Risa Bol did not receive major injury. Victor Ical was served with a notice of intended prosecution, as the police investigation remains ongoing. Reporting from Cow Pen Village. Shane Williams for News Five.
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