On September 7, 2026, a tragic accident during Belize City’s annual Carnival celebrations left a 25-year-old local man dead, leaving his family and community reeling from sudden loss. Patrick Meighan, a well-liked stevedore employed at the Port of Belize, lost his life around 7 p.m. on Freetown Road after an incident involving a moving Carnival parade truck.
Preliminary investigations from local law enforcement outline that Meighan attempted to climb onto the moving vehicle while the celebration was underway. During the attempt, his hand became trapped in one of the truck’s wheels, dragging him under the vehicle and causing fatal injuries. His family is still working to reconstruct the full sequence of events, as Meighan’s nephew told relatives the young man had initially ridden a different truck with him before moving to join friends on the truck where the accident occurred.
The victim’s father, Norris Meighan Sr., shared his devastating experience of learning about his son’s death with local outlet News 5. He first received unconfirmed reports from neighborhood residents, before a phone call delivered the official confirmation. While his wife traveled to the hospital to identify Patrick’s body, a call came to the family home for Meighan’s oldest daughter. She ran to her father in tears, breaking the news that Patrick had died in the Carnival accident.
In an emotional reflection, Norris Meighan Sr. recalled his last conversation with his son before he left for the celebrations. The elder Meighan said he had openly tried to convince Patrick not to attend this year’s Carnival, citing ongoing concerns about rising gun violence in the area. But Patrick, who was eager to join the festive traditions, brushed off his father’s worries with his final words: “It’s party time. You get too old now, it’s my time.” He then left the home to join his friends for the event.
Colleagues and family remember Patrick as a high-performing stevedore at the Port of Belize, and a joyful, outgoing person who fully embraced Carnival’s celebratory spirit. His father noted that Patrick was the only one of his seven sons who loved jumping on parade trucks to join the party, a reflection of his adventurous, fun-loving personality.
This fatal accident marks the second Carnival-related death in the area this year, coming shortly after the passing of 45-year-old Jeremy Clive “Tambran” Hendricks in a separate unrelated incident. Local police have not yet released their full official report on the accident, and the Meighan family says they will wait for the investigation to conclude before commenting further on the circumstances of Patrick’s death.