Family Loses Father and Son in Head-on Traffic Collision

A father and son, Josue and Felipe Solis, lost their lives in a tragic road traffic accident that has left their loved ones and neighbors in shock. The two were heading home after a long day’s work when their motorcycle collided with an oncoming truck. Tonight, the Rhaburn Ridge Community mourns not just the loss of two lives, but the deep void left behind. News Five’s Britney Gordon has a full story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Just days after a string of deadly road accidents shook the nation, tragedy has struck again, this time claiming the lives of a father and son from Rhaburn Ridge. Thirty-four-year-old Josue Solis and his eighteen-year-old son Felipe were just minutes from home when their motorcycle collided with a truck on the highway. The truck driver says he was swerving to avoid potholes when the crash happened. Tonight, the Solis family is left heartbroken, and a community is once again mourning lives lost too soon.

 

Juan Mejia, Brother-in-law of Deceased

“Josue was on was on the pavement and Felipe was on the side, on the grass. The truck was over the other side, close to the post. I called the emergency number. And when I called the emergency number, they give me the news. The police tell me that they had already passed so I was ready, when I got [the news].”

 

 

 

Josue, his wife, and their three children were known as kind, hardworking neighbors, people who brought warmth to those around them. Tonight, their absence is painfully real. One neighbor, Asher Fard, shared that he still finds it hard to believe he’ll no longer hear the familiar greetings from Josue and Felipe that once brightened his days.

 

Asher Fard, Friend of Deceased

“I know ney people, I da she like over ten years. Dey da di best neighbor you could ever have. The guy well respectful, ih wife well respectful, the kids ney well respectful. You know ney pass you, ney always bid you the time of day. No dispute, you never hear ney people no quarrel, nothing. Ney soul da like angel di walk pan d earth as I tell you. So respectful I admire the way how is see the guy grow up ney kids and thing with respect. Mey always pass yo and always bid you the time of the day. Very cool, very humble person. Everytime he pass yo he always she yes mister Asher or yes big man.”

 

 

Felipe had recently graduated from St John’s College and had plans to pursue higher education. Until then, he had been working with his father. But now, both lives have been tragically cut short. What was meant to be a season of new beginnings has turned into a time of unimaginable loss. As Josue’s brother-in-law, Juan Mejia, puts it, this is a heartbreak that’s rippling through everyone who knew them.

 

 

 

Juan Mejia

“It’s a huge loss be cause he’s a dad. He have two daughters, and a wife. So it was the one provider. No. So it’s a big loss. My wife is the third sister to the family. He have families, other sisters, brothers in Honduras. Yeah, it’s a, it is a huge loss because of the life of the young boy now. He just graduated and he went and so it’s a huge loss for the family.”

 

 

The Solis family is not alone in their grief. Here’s more from Fard.

 

Asher Fard

“Cool brethren and ih son- lovely lee bredda, lovely lee bwai. Da wa great loss fi dis village right ya because up ya we da like wa small community. But all ah we know each other. All ah we interact with each other and everybody know each other, And da wa great loss, we feel it, I tell you. It really hurt right.”

 

 

Police are still investigating the incident, but the Solis family is calling for accountability and hopes that more can be done to protect future riders and drivers on Belize’s roads.

 

Juan Mejia

“The main problem in our country. We have these small roads, this is a one lane, if you go to other countries, you notice that this is one lane, so we will forever be having this problem if the governments do not fix it, for sure is the roads. The roads are too small in our country. We need to do better as a country.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.