Fatal Accident Causes Hours-Long Highway Shutdown
Motorists traveling between Belize City and Orange Walk faced major delays Saturday afternoon after police shut down traffic near Mile 27 in Biscayne Village while processing a fatal accident scene. Drivers and even pedestrians were reportedly held for more than two hours as police waited for crime scene personnel from Belize City and a Justice of the Peace to arrive. With no alternate route available, the delay disrupted travel plans and business arrangements for scores of people. We asked Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith whether officers could have exercised greater discretion to keep traffic moving while preserving the integrity of the investigation.
Stacy Smith
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
“Well the integrity of the investigation is paramount. Certainly, if there was a matter where life was at risk in terms of the persons in the traffic being upheld, that would take paramount consideration. But where that is not the concern, the integrity of the scene in terms of conducting a thorough investigation is the paramount consideration. Certainly, the view is to do it as expedient as possible but you cannot be expedient at the expense of being thorough.”
Reporter
“Wasn’t there supposed to be a police bus? I can recall in the year of Covid, 2021, there was a bus that officers that travel from Orange Walk can catch to come to Belize City.”
ASP Stacy Smith
“Yes, I believe there is a police bus. I’ll have to confirm what was the status on that occasion but they leave at particular time and maybe it was not as feasible for [the shift]. Yes please.”
Numerous drivers and pedestrians pleaded desperately with the ranking officer at the scene to allow traffic flow off the road side away from the scene but their plea fell on deaf ears.
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.
Watch the full newscast here: