The roadways continue to be a hazard in this Christmas season as there
was a terrible accident on the western highway at mile seven and a half on Saturday
night. Liston Meyers was riding a motorcycle westbound when he crashed into
an oncoming car. IT was a massive, traumatic collision and the 20 year old motorcycle
rider lost a portion of his left arm in the impact. But he survived –
and doctors believe they can save his leg which was also mangled in the collision.
Jacqueline Godwin has more.
Jacqueline Godwin
Reporting,
This is all that is left of the motorcycle driven by twenty year old Liston
Myers. He was badly injured just after seven on Saturday night and remains at
the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Already doctors have amputated his left
hand from below the elbow but they are optimistic that following surgery they
will be able to save his left leg that is badly broken.
Hattieville Police initial investigation is that Liston Myers was travelling
from Belize City to Gales Point Manatee but between miles seven and eight on
the Western Highway he collided into a Honda Accord that was travelling from
Belmopan to Belize City. The car’s driver twenty eight year old Belize
City resident Douglas Rodriquez told police that Meyers was attempting to over
take a bus when the motorcycle crashed into his vehicle. But Liston Myers says
not so.
Liston Myers, Victim - Road Traffic Accident
“I was heading home. A car was coming the opposite way from me, I
was on the side of the road. I don’t know if this man was drunk or what
but this car just swerved on my hand and the only thing I could have done to
get away from him was swerve and when I swerved that is when he knocked from
sideways. He was coming straight into me and if I didn’t swerve, I might
have died. When I swerved only half of me he knocked, only this half; broke
this leg and half of this arm gone.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“In speaking with the Hattieville Police they said that at the time of
the accident you were trying to overtake a bus and when you pulled up from behind
the bus, you went straight into the vehicle that was coming from Belmopan to
Belize City.”
Liston Myers,
“No bus was on that scene. Two lights were coming, the car light and
my cycle light going the other way. I was on the side of the road and this man
came from off of his hand and went on my hand and I was already on the side
of the road because I keep on side of the road and this man just knocked me.
The only thing I could have tried to do than go front way into him is swerve.
No bus wasn’t there, only me and this car.
After he knocked me I was on the ground and a man came and told me don’t
try to get up because piece of your hand is missing and your foot is broke.
That is what he told me and he told me just to wait for the ambulance and relax.
That is what the man told me. The man who came and dress up my hand just now,
he told me that it was a Spanish man, a drunk Spanish man. He said he asked
the Spanish man what happened and he said, it is just a lil bwoy get knocked
down but nothing bad happened to him, that is what he told him.”
Police tell 7News no blood-alcohol test was conducted but Douglas Rodriquez
has been served with a notice of intended prosecution.
Orsel Andrewin, Mother
“The doctor could not save his hand because he didn’t come back
with his hand on. But the doctor says he can save the leg because no major damage
was done to artery and just the bone bruk and he will have to take him into
theatre sometime, he will give him the date when he has to go into the theatre
but he is waiting for the swelling to go down and then he will tell him when
he will take him into theatre to fix the bone that is broken.
The hand ended up in the car, the windshield or something might have cut
off the hand and the ended up in the car because then the police brought the
hand to the hospital.”
Liston Myers,
“I was trying to get away from him, I tried, I swerved, and when I
swerved sideways and that is when he hit me. No bus there, no bus. Me and his
car. I would remember a bus. You think I would overtake a bus on a cycle?”
Orsel Andrewin,
“I nuh have words to describe what I would want to tell the driver
right about now because my son lose his hand and he is young. I know we will
get passed it some time but he just finished his tour guide license, he just
finished his tour guide because he had done a training for tour guide. There
were two training he said he wanted to do; he did the tour guide training and
he did an electrician training at ITVET in Dangriga. So that can’t be
finished, that scrapped right there. Praise God he finished his tour guide training
and he will get his license. So with that he might try after he recovers to
try, maybe that will help him that he could try make a living.”
Twenty year old Liston Myers is expected to remain at KHMH for two to three
weeks. Jacqueline Godwin reporting for 7News.
When police arrived at the crash scene they observed that the Honda
Accord had run off the highway into a ditch on the left hand side of the road…
the same side of the highway that the motorcycle was travelling. According to
police, they are still investigating the accident because the driver’s
account of what transpired does not coincide with what was observed at the scene.
As noted in the report, Douglas Rodriquez has been served with a notice of intended
prosecution.