Man Dies in Orange Walk J’ouvert Two Days After Birthday

Over the weekend, Belizeans across the globe celebrated the country’s forty-fourth Independence Day through a series of vibrant parades and lively get-togethers, but for revelers in Orange Walk, the event was anything but celebratory. The annual carnival J’ouvert took a devastating turn when a man fell of a truck and was fatally crushed during the procession. Twenty-three-year-old Axel Carrillo was participating in J’ouvert for the first time in Orange Walk but unbeknownst to him, it would tragically be his last. The incident has left Belizeans heartbroken as they call for better safety standards during these events. News Five’s Britney Gordon has the story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Over the weekend, Orange Walk came alive with the annual J’ouvert, hundreds of Belizeans out in the streets before sunrise, dancing, singing, and celebrating in true carnival style. But what started as pure joy ended in tragedy. In the middle of the revelry, a man fell from a moving truck and was crushed to death. ACP Hilberto Romero, Head of the National Crime Investigation Branch, has the details.

 

ACP Hilberto Romero, Head, National Crime Investigation Branch

“On Sunday the twenty-first of September, police responded to an accident in Orange Walk at Liberty Avenue. Upon arrival, police saw the lifeless body of a male person identified as Axel [Carrillo]. Information is that the he was on a trailer that had on music when he fell. And the truck the truck run over him. The truck was being driven by Elias Cowo. An investigation is being carried out into this report.”

 

Following Axel Carillo’s death, the festivities came to a screeching halt, and the parade was cut short. His cousin, Josette Carillo, was on her way to work when she received a phone call about the devastating news.

 

On the Phone: Josette Carrillo, Cousin of Deceased

“My baby daddy’s there. So he said he saw everything and he called me. So I couldn’t believe it because, I told her they haven’t told us anything. I called my cousin he was there and I called him and I asked him what had happened and then he told me they crashed my cousin Axel. So I told him did he die or did anything happen? And then they were like, we don’t know yet. We are in the hospital. After that we waited an hour and a half, and then they told us that he passed away, that he didn’t make it.”

 

His family says Carillo wasn’t a drinker. and this was actually his very first J’ouvert. Police say the file will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions to determine whether the driver of the truck will be charged.

 

ACP Hilberto Romero

“The file will be compiled and forwarded to the DPP, then a determination will be made whether he will be charged.”

 

Carillo’s death came just two days after his twenty-third birthday. Josette recalls the fond memories they shared in the years they lived together.

 

On the Phone: Josette Carrillo

“He was living here in San Pedro. We used to stay together. And I can remember all the memories we had when he used to go wash at one in the morning. Always go bother us at our room with music, putting loud music, singing, dancing. He was very humble. He is never in trouble fighting or getting in problems. He doesn’t drink, so for me, it was shocking that he gone. Knowing that he’s a good person. So for me it was tough. I feel right now, I still can’t believe it that he’s gone.”

 

The situation has raised public concerns regarding the safety of Belizeans during these festivities. While many use the celebration as an opportunity to have carefree fun, others point out the numerous casualties that have occurred during the celebration. Such as the 2014 death of fifty-four-year-old Santos Uh who was also crushed to death by a flatbed truck during the Orange Walk Carnival. Carrillo says that her family is deeply saddened by her cousin’s death, who is remembered as kind and generous.

 

On the Phone: Josette Carrillo

“He was very friendly. He’s a person that he will help you whenever he could. He’s, yeah. He’s so friendly with everyone. Everyone, even with people he doesn’t know. He will try to help with everything he could because he’s a hardworking man. He always be working. He won’t party. We sometimes tell him. let’s go, no, I am working. I have to do this and that, and he’s that kind of person. Friendly, respectful, kind and loving.”

 

Many have taken to social media to criticize the J’ouvert event, calling it a dangerous activity. However, it is yet to be determined if anyone will be held accountable for the tragic incident that claimed the life of ta young Belizean on the country’s national day. Britney Gordon for News Five.