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A woman was knocked down in Belize City last night. It happened on Vernon Street when she was riding her bicycle and a car slammed into her. We met her distressed family at the hospital today.

Marsha Smith, Mother of Accident Victim
“My son got grenade last year gone away. December since I came home from America my son got knocked down and I didn’t even gone to police and he nearly died again and now they took his life with so many bullets. And now my daughter got knocked down with a car. I just hope the guys step up because this is different from gun. We are feeling too much pain.”

Only three weeks after Marsha Smith buried her sixteen year old son Shariffe Smith who had been shot seven times on March twenty sixth, this single mother is back at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital this time comforting her twenty two year old daughter who was knocked off her bicycle on Tuesday night. Rochelle Smith lies in the Intensive Care Unit with wounds to the back of her head, forehead, legs, and a serious to the back.

The young woman was launched several feet into the air and as she landed on the pavement on her back she lost consciousness. Today from her hospital bed she recalls what led to her being hit.

Rochelle Smith, Recovering Accident Victim
“While leaving the shop on Vernon Street, the only thing I could remember is when I was turning around the bike, a vehicle was coming the same direction fast and all I could remember is I got knocked and that was it. I woke up in the hospital.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
No way you could have gotten out of harm’s way?

Rochelle Smith,
“No because it was too late because of the fastness of how the vehicle was coming.”

And this is where it all unfolded last night on Vernon Street, right across from the Berger Football Field. The mother says based on information she has been receiving, she knows who is responsible for her daughter’s injuries. Equally disturbing is that the driver she says knows the family but he has yet to pay them a visit at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital much less to see Rochelle to see what assistance he can give to help her recover from her injuries.

Marsha Smith,
“God help her that she gets up strong and going again but I am not giving up on her. All I am asking is that the youth man them, step up and come check Miss Marsh because Miss Marsh is a lover. I know unu know mi same way so just come check me and makes us make a long long story get short because everybody feels pain and I know unu know I di feel pain. So just come check my pickney and mek wi deal with the medical and the assistance in anything that she needs. I can’t go no more. I can’t hold up Jackie. I can’t.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
You woke up in the hospital, seems you have suffered a head injury and there may be some injury to the neck. That is why you’re wearing a brace. Have the doctors spoken to you?

Rochelle Smith,
“No. I am not sure if they’ve spoken to my mom but I haven’t been told anything. I don’t now what is happening.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
How much pain are you in and where exactly is the pain concentrated?

Rochelle Smith,
“In my neck and my back and shoulder and my head supposed to get bust or something and my knee and scratches.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
You obviously right now you have to remain stable because any movement causes great discomfort to you.

Rochelle Smith,
“Yes.”

Marsha Smith,
“Well Jackie really the injury which really the bother me and like I said, the head and the neck because the doctors say his spine could be messed up and so that is what is bothering me. So o am asking my bally deh who knocked her down, if unu dah man and unu fi we friend, because I know unu and unu talk to my daughter’s too, unu step up and come check my daughter and see what’s going on with her so we don’t even have to go to court and deal with the wrong thing. Let’s deal with God and the right thing and make my daughter get back on her foot to me and help herself and her brother and her sister because just two weeks ago we buried my son yes but in last week like two or three days after my son got buried, we are still grieving up to now. We can’t get over so fast.”

And while we are not certain about the extent of her injuries, Marsha says her daughter has shown determination from when she was young and this time she hopes that same strength will have her back on her feet.

Marsha Smith,
“All I want to do is drop down because I can’t do this. Like I said, a lot of mother feel this before and I didn’t know it felt so hurt and I feel it with my son and now my daughter got knocked down and this is my two kids. I would have to say thank God for my son 16 who was with me for all these years and my daughter 22 and has been with me all these years after all the sickness she gaan through because she had hepatitis and then she had meningitis. No she had meningitis first when she was a baby and then she went through to hepatitis and then from there well see her now. We are trying to fight with her but she’s always had tonsil problems, she is tied tongue, the sickness left her kind of sick but so far she is doing good because she is at sixth form and she is looking to graduate June, so she is doing good and I never expect this.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
Are you surprised that although the driver did stop, he has not come in to the hospital to see how you are doing or in what way he can help?

Rochelle Smith,
“It is surprising because the person who they said did it, most of my friends know him and he is supposed to know me too so it is surprising. It is not something I was suspecting. It just happened in a quick second.”

Right now the family needs just over a thousand dollars for Rochelle Smith to get the x-ray that will reveal the extent of her injuries that hopefully will help her on the road back to recovery. Jacqueline Godwin reporting for 7News.

Marsha Smith would also like to thank all those individuals who have been a constant support to her and the family. To add to all the trauma after Rochelle Smith was knocked down someone in the area reportedly stole her bicycle including her slippers. If you can help Marsha Smith get the assistance she needs you can contact her at phone numbers 661–9415 or 207–1793.

The second in charge of Eastern Division, Sr. Supt. Miguel Segura told us late this evening that the accident is under investigation. He says that when police responded to the scene last night, the bike had already been removed and police are still searching for that bike. He says because of her condition, Rochelle has been unable to give police a statement. They have received a statement from the passenger in Andrew Bennett’s vehicle which corroborates his story. He says Bennett has been served with a notice of intended prosecution pending the outcome of the investigation.