A devastating series of road traffic accidents across Belize’s highway network this weekend has culminated in a fatality and intensified national concerns regarding transportation safety protocols. The most severe incident occurred on Saturday along the Southern Highway near San Juan Village, where a van collided with a mobile house being towed by a truck. The van’s operator, identified as Pastor Julian Bol, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the location. Investigations reveal Pastor Bol was en route to gather laborers for his son’s upcoming nuptials. His daughter subsequently memorialized him through social media, expressing profound grief with the statement: “Will miss you forever dad, I love you.
This tragedy highlights ongoing challenges with enforcement of recently established transport regulations. The Department of Transport (DoT) instituted revised protocols in August 2025 specifically governing the transportation of oversized structures, mandating that such movements “will only be permitted between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. daily.” The DoT’s policy explicitly warned that violations would trigger “immediate enforcement actions, including the impounding of vehicles, fines, and suspension of permits.”
The weekend’s hazardous conditions continued with multiple additional collisions. A white GMC Terrain was involved in an accident near the Mullins River junction on Saturday, though no injuries were documented. Sunday brought further incidents as another rented GMC Terrain overturned on the Coastal Road after impacting a signage structure, landing adjacent to a drainage canal with no confirmed casualties. Another Sunday accident on the Hummingbird Highway prompted an official response from the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, which emphasized that “the truth is no matter how many safety features we put on our road, the responsibility is on the driver.”