Two devastating road traffic accidents that occurred within hours of each other in northern Belize on Sunday night have left three people dead and two others hospitalized with serious injuries, local authorities confirmed.
The first incident unfolded just after 10 p.m. along the Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway in the Punta Gorda area, when a northbound motorcycle carrying two people lost control near the roadside and crashed into a standing tree. Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene immediately, and transported passengers Brenton Cofius and Carl Manger to a nearby medical facility for urgent care. Following the crash, law enforcement officers impounded the damaged motorcycle as part of their ongoing investigation into what caused the collision.
A far deadlier crash unfolded hours later in the Orange Walk District, along the road connecting Trinidad and August Pine Ridge. The violent impact of the head-on collision left three people dead at the scene, leaving local communities in shock. Visual footage captured from the crash site shows a red Ford F-150 pickup truck pushed off the pavement, alongside a fully loaded sugar cane trailer attached to a Freightliner semi-truck that was also involved in the incident.
Authorities have publicly identified the three victims of the second crash: Selvin Cortez, Bryon Magaña, and Magaña’s partner Sherlyn Henriquez. News of the deaths has already prompted mourning from loved ones across social media. One of Henriquez’s relatives shared a tribute online writing, “Rest in peace, my beautiful niece. Thank you for the beautiful moments we spent together; you will always live in my heart.”
The Belize Police Department announced that it is continuing to process evidence from both crash sites and is expected to release a full update on the circumstances of each incident, including potential contributing factors such as speeding, weather conditions, or driver impairment, to the public this coming afternoon.