Deadly Collision Claims Life of Danny Mai Near Esperanza

One man is dead following a fatal road traffic accident, leaving his family in deep mourning. On Saturday morning, thirty-four-year-old Danny Mai was on his way home to Santa Elena when the unforeseen occurred. An overtaking Toyota Corolla collided into him and flung him off his motorbike. Danny, described by loved ones as a careful and responsible driver, didn’t survive. Now, his family is left heartbroken and searching for answers. They believe the driver may have been under the influence. News Five’s Paul Lopez headed west to speak with those closest to Danny and filed the following report.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Danny Mai was known as a humble, hardworking man, a father, a son, and someone who always played it safe on the road. Early Saturday morning, his life was tragically cut short. He was heading back to Santa Elena after visiting his sick mother in Blackman Eddy Village when the unthinkable happened. A collision ended his journey, and left his loved ones in mourning.

 

Shirley Mai, Mother of Deceased

“First I would want to say, all the rumors, all the negativity, all kind of things I have been hearing, my son was at my house, my son only want to hear something happen to his mother, my son is coming. Danny was here because I had flus an my son come check pan me. And, doing so he left here and he was heading back home. And unfortunately that incident happened, the drunk drive that carelessly overtook and hit my son and the hurting thing, nobody I get a call from, nobody tell me nothing, not the driver, to say Ms. Mai I am sorry, because, if I could know who you, you must know who me. I know dah who, I know dah who.”

 

Danny Mai was just minutes away from Esperanza Village when things took a deadly turn. The driver of a Toyota Corolla, reportedly trying to overtake another vehicle, ended up crashing into him, changing everything in an instant. In the aftermath, the Corolla was seen turned over on the side of the road.

 

Shirley Mai

“My son deh visit back the scene. I have the man car key. I have earrings. I have phone, earpiece, the beer pint bottles on the ground, I know deh mih drunk. I know deh mih drunk eena the car.  Dah thirty-four years of life gone and I know my son. Nobody, as a mah, I see mothers get on TV and swear for their son, but this is one I could put my head on the block for. Danny was not a drunkard that you will find drunk on the street. Danny is the most humblest person you could ever encounter. I remember a time when Danny was going to high school and Danny said ma, we had times rough, because as a single mother the raise your pikney and I said Danny we the reach the breaking point in life, no job. He said mom, what happen to you, your bread nuh taste good? I love your bread ma. You make that bread and put it in that tub and make sure when I come from school those bread ready for me to go sell.  That was the kind of son I had. He get that bread and hit the road and when he come back, dah money the come and they had money for school.”

As the eldest son of a single mother, Mai played a leading role in the lives of his siblings. His younger brother, Tyrique Mai, told News Five that he did not know Danny to be a reckless driver. He is now calling for justice to be served.

 

Tyrique Mai, Brother of Deceased

“I just want justice for my bigger brother, because dah man nuh drive his cycle like how I drive my cycle. He always take he precaution and he always drive caution. He goes all the way to Placencia with his motorcycle. He is not a bad driver. He always drive good and everything. Just those people out there driving and drink. I just want justice for my big brother cause this hurt. When my sister call me, she called me when I was still sleeping and I could not bare it any at all, it is hard. We want justice, because they need to send deh bally dah back.”

 

Last week, Chief Executive Officer Chester Williams revealed that the Ministry of Transport is planning to implement a three-month moratorium on the issuance of motorcycle licenses to address the rise in fatal motorcycle accidents. But Darell Tillett, a friend of the Mai family, says motorcyclists are not the main problem. He maintains that drunk drivers are the primary issue.

 

Darell Tillett, Resident, Blackman Eddy Village

“What the government need to do is crack down on the people driving, because I drive a motorcycle, a Honda every day, almost five years, to feed my family and what I experience is people just driving and just knock down the motorcycle and don’t stop and then there is no penalty. The commissioner of police, cant change nothing, the government cant change nothing. It is the people driving under the influence that are knocking down people on the highway everyday. That is only transportation that poor people like we use to reach work, because the transportation on the bus is a problem.”

 

 

Notably, Shirley Mai is still grappling with the brutal murder of her eighteen-year-old daughter, Keonia Ara, in 2017. She says her family is yet to receive justice for that crime and hopes that her son’s death is not in vain.

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez