Family Mourns After Deadly Big Creek Crash

A family in southern Belize is grieving tonight after a split second crash on Big Creek Road took the life of 38 year old Brandon Alex Coleman. Police say he was riding home when an SUV turned into his path, leaving him critically injured. He died soon after. But for the Colemans, the pain runs deeper. They’re upset about how long he was left on the road and devastated that video of the crash is now circulating online. Investigators have detained the SUV driver as they work to figure out exactly what happened, and tonight the family is speaking out about Brandon’s life, his loss, and the added hurt caused by that video. We start with his sister, Angelina Coleman, who got the call no family wants.

 

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

A family in the south is grieving tonight after a tragic crash along Big Creek Road claimed the life of a thirty-eight‑year‑old motorcyclist. Police say Brandon Alex Coleman was struck when an SUV turned across his path, sending him to the hospital in critical condition. He didn’t survive. Investigators have since detained one man as they work to piece together what happened in those final moments on Thursday afternoon.

 

Angelina Coleman, Sister of Deceased

“Yesterday, I was at work when I got the call from my sister and she told me that he went to Big Creek to drop off one of my relatives to work in Big Creek. And while on his way back, I guess he was in the right of way since he was on his side of the road, on his hand. And what apparently happened in the video, what I saw, that the vehicle turned as he was in right front of the vehicle, the vehicle turned on his side and what was what happened on the scene, from what I saw in the video.”

 

Coleman was riding west along Big Creek Road when an SUV suddenly turned left into a parking lot, cutting directly into his path. The Ford Explorer, driven by sixty-five‑year‑old Jes Christian Bech, collided with Coleman’s motorcycle in an impact police say he had no time to avoid.

 

Lisa Coleman, Sister of Deceased

“They way how dehn police left my bredda on that ground fi fifteen to twenty minutes, dis da wah person weh di look fi dead. Apparently, dehn noh wahn mess up dehn uniform and dehn call dehself public servants. When ah tell yoh dehn leff ahn deh and when dehn reach the polyclinic, we da dis man love, we da weh he know, dehn neva give we di chance fi gaan een deh. I could understand di doctors haffi do dehn job. We could understand that, but weh hurt we, dehn saw his condition. Dehn know di condition weh ih mi eena and dehn know ih stand wahn chance but ih neva certain. Dehn coulda give we di opportunity.”

 

When officers reached the scene, they found Coleman lying still on the pavement, badly injured. His motorcycle was crumpled beside him, a twisted frame of metal and plastic, and just a few yards away sat a Ford Explorer bearing its own fresh damage, silent evidence of the violent impact moments before.

 

Angelina Coleman

“It’s so sad, when yoh watch di video, you can see clear that he was not in the fault. I can tell you, he cut my brother from his dreams, from his daughter. He has a daughter that he loves so much and I know my brother didn’t even get to utter a word after he got hit. He couldn’t even say anything to anybody because he was knocked unconscious and that was it.”

 

A video of the crash is now making the rounds on social media, but the family of Brandon Coleman says it’s causing them even more pain. They’re heartbroken, and they’re angry, that surveillance footage of his final moments is being shared online. His younger sister, Lisa Coleman, told us why the family finds it deeply disrespectful.

 

Lisa Coleman

“From this accident happened yesterday, we di try avoid di videos dehn. And fi mek we know that dehn put da video out deh so carelessly, I could understand da journalism and unu want a story, but my brother had a family. Ih have we. We love ahn and dehn tek my right fi remember my bredda as he was when dehn posted that video. We family devastated as is already. I want unu know, all unuh weh talk negative things, unu noh know Brandon Coleman. Brandon Coleman da wahn person weh noh fool wid nobody. He have people when love ahn and we mi love ahn and he loved his family. He never deserve this.”

Police have since detained the driver as they work to determine exactly what led to the deadly collision. Isani Cayetano for News Five.

 

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.

 

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