A routine early-morning trip through rural Corozal District turned into an unthinkable tragedy this Tuesday, leaving a local family shattered after a multi-vehicle collision claimed one life and left two others with serious injuries. The crash, which unfolded just before 5:30 AM on September 8 along Remate Road on the outskirts of Yo Chen Village, has launched a full police investigation to pinpoint fault and uncover the root causes of the deadly incident.
According to official statements from Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith, Staff Officer for the Corozal Police Department, first responders arrived at the scene to find all three vehicles involved heavily damaged: a van, a tractor, and a trailer being towed by the tractor. Preliminary findings from the investigation paint a clear initial picture of the collision: 50-year-old David Chan was operating the tractor and its attached trailer when an oncoming van driven by Waldir Cuello struck the trailer from a direction still being clarified by investigators. The impact killed Chan instantly, while Melita Chan, who was riding alongside David Chan on the tractor, and Cuello, the van’s driver, both suffered critical injuries requiring immediate hospitalization.
As of the latest update, both injured parties remain in medical care receiving treatment for their wounds. In a key procedural step forward, Corozal Police have formally issued a notice of intended prosecution against Cuello, a standard notification that signals law enforcement’s preliminary finding that criminal charges may be appropriate as the inquiry progresses. Police have emphasized that the investigation is still active, and officers are continuing to collect witness statements, examine physical evidence from the crash site, and reconstruct the sequence of events leading up to the collision to confirm full accountability.
This report is adapted from a televised evening news broadcast originally published online.