7 News Belize

Car Crashes Into Parked Bus; Whose Fault?
posted (October 18, 2011)
There was a serious accident last night on the western highway when a car collided into a bus. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but there was massive impact and it could have been fatal.

7news was on the scene last night and Monica Bodden got both sides of the story today:..

Monica Bodden Reporting
The front of this Volkswagen - was extensively damaged after it collided into the rear of a parked bus.

It was not a fatal accident, but from the looks of things, it could have been. Around 6:30 yesterday evening - between mile 10 and 11 on the Western highway Melissa Almendarez and her two children - ages 11 and 13 were heading home towards Hattieville.

According to Almendarez - two buses were parked on the highway - one of them was in her lane - and didn't have any lights indicating it was there.

She said as she closed in on the bus she realized what was about to happen.

Melissa Almendarez - Victim of traffic accident
"I was driving my car home with my two kids Antoine and Amber and just after passing mile 10 around Almond Hill hitting that main stretch I just saw a light on the opposite side of the road going towards Belize City but it seems stagnant like not moving and so I realize that something was wrong and then approaching closer I see the other park that was broken down on my side of the lane. Instantly I applied brakes and hoping to pull off the road to avoid impact with either of the busses and I basically hit the tail end of the park bus causing major damages. Fortunately I am still here talking to you. My daughter was the one that suffered most of the damage having a fracture to her wrist and her knee was badly bruise. Antoine is OK and I am here as well."

Almendarez said she had nowhere to go and couldn't avoid an accident.

Melissa Almendarez - Victim of traffic accident
"It was park in half/half on the road. It didn't have any lights on and there were no branches in the road - nothing to give you an indication that something was wrong or that something was there. It was just presence of the mind seeing the image and trying to avoid it then realizing there is no way to go. There is the other bus in the other lane park as well because they were like helping out each other. I am not sure what the circumstances were but there were just two big busses in the middle of the road and nowhere to go."

Today she is left disturbed at what could have been worst for her family - An accident she believes was caused by pure negligence.

Melissa Almendarez - Victim of traffic accident
"I first have to breathe and say that I am happy to be here and to be able to give the story. I have travelled on the road for so many years and have seen different accidents happen involving busses and how they operate and for it to happen to me - thinking of it now, certainly I am angry and frustrated at the same time because you don't know what's going to happen next and how they will even try to assist you. There is no consideration of that. So I am just waiting and hoping that something comes out of it and I hope that better laws are in place. They know what to do and that's the sad part, so whose to take blame? The operators or the drivers? Who's at fault in these instances?"

Monica Bodden
"At this time you had a chance to speak to the driver of the bus?"

Melissa Almendarez - Victim of traffic accident
"Yes I did last night just briefly while waiting for the ambulance and the police to come. I don't feel any remorse from them, it's just (we were park so). But you are park without a light on the road."

The driver of the bus told us he was having mechanical problems that were beyond his control. He experienced difficulties with his battery - which caused the bus's alternator to blow out - leaving the bus without electricity… in turn, no lights!

Radcliff Williams - Bus Driver
"About 6:30pm my bus had a shortage with current; one of the battery poles - the positive jump off and it blew out the alternator and all the lights went off. I stop about 100 yards from the location, I had the bus ran off the road, it had already shutdown but I manage to maneuver it off the road, it stop there. I was trying to fix the battery pole at the time when about 6:45pm this vehicle came very fast at about 60 miles per hour and it landed directly in the back of the bus. I didn't have any light on the bus but I had this big light to spot to traffic that something is happening here. She still collided into the bus."

"Another bus had stopped by to help me with a battery, but he didn't take long, he move away before this incident happen. He leaves the battery with me and he drove across the other side of the road. By the time he drove across the road this vehicle collided into the bus."

Monica Bodden
"Were you park completely off the highway?"

Radcliff Williams - Bus Driver
"Just one of the wheels was left on the road, but there was enough space for traffic to pass. She was coming with too much speed then when she arrive close to the bus she couldn't slow down and hit the rear of the bus."

Monica Bodden
"Where were you at the time?"

Radcliff Williams - Bus Driver
"I was fixing the battery terminal on the other side."

This bus driver strongly believes the accident was no fault of his and he says if the driver of the small car wasn't speeding, it wouldn't have happened.

Radcliff Williams - Bus Driver
"I am just sorry it happen but she was coming with excess speed. If she wasn't coming at excess speed and she see the spotlight it could have been avoided but she wasn't monitoring the light. She came with speed and all that she could have done was to run off the road but instead she ran into the bus."

Monica Bodden
"You think this accident was your fault any at all?"

Radcliff Williams - Bus Driver
"It was not my fault because when the bus broke down I came off the road. A lot of vehicle pass before her and didn't run into me. A lot of big trucks because they see the light that something is happening here. People told me to be careful and that's why I bring out this light. This light is like daylight, you could have seen this light a mile away."

As for the driver of the other bus which was doing the assisting, Almendarez said he fled the scene.

Radcliff Williams - Bus Driver
"He was park on the other side of the road when the incident happens. He went off yes but he wasn't in the way of the traffic. He stops by and gave me a big battery and then he went across the road and then he waited until I got the bus start but at that same time the car collided into the bus. He was running late so he went ahead."

Monica Bodden
"But it was no fault of his?"

Radcliff Williams - Bus Driver
"No fault of his either; none at all. The lady should have avoided it but she came with too much speed."

Melissa Almendarez has been served with the notice of intended prosecution.

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