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

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

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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The post Family Mourns After Deadly Big Creek Crash first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

Coleman was rushed to the Independence Polyclinic and later transferred to the Southern Regional Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Police have detained the driver of the SUV, 65-year-old Jes Christian Bech of Monkey River Road, as investigations continue.

Coleman’s younger sister, Angelina, described the heartbreak of losing her brother. “Yesterday I was at work when I got the call from my sister. She told me that he went to Big Creek to drop off one of my relatives to work. And while on his way back…This hurt me, I never get a hurt so bad yet in my life, until now,” she said. 

She said her brother had been working on his little brother’s house, with plans to finish it so her sibling could move into his own home.”All his plan was just cut short,” she said. “He has a daughter that he loves so much…He couldn’t even say anything after he got hit. He was knocked unconscious.”

The family also expressed frustration over the lack of communication from authorities. “Up to now, no police reach our house. Nobody came. Nobody said anything to the family… This hurt me, I never get a hurt so bad yet in my life, until now.”

Relatives remembered Coleman as someone who always brought joy to others. “My brother, he was not a problem maker. He is the sweetest. He always make everybody smile. He always happy. Whatever he does, he does it with a happy mindset because he wants everybody around him to be happy,” Angelina said.

The post Family Mourns 38-Year-Old Killed in Big Creek Road Accident first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer

“Roaring Creek Police are investigating a fatal road traffic accident, which led to the death of twenty-nine-year-old Manuel Mungia. The investigation comments on Saturday fourteenth, February, 2026 at approximately nine twenty p.m., when officers in that jurisdiction were advised of the presence of an unresponsive male person near miles forty-seven and forty-eight on the George Price Highway, the officers proceeded to that location where they indeed made that observation, and they also observed a Lifan brand motorcycle which showed signs of damage as well as a guardrail, which also showed sign of damage. Police also encountered a male person on the scene who was driving an SUV and that SUV also showed signs of damage on the driver’s side. What we have learned so far in the course of this ongoing investigation is that Mungia was traveling from the direction of Belize City to Belmopan, and it is reported that he veered into the lane of the oncoming traffic and when he would’ve collided with that vehicle, his motorcycle careened, and collided into the guardrail, which caused his untimely demise. A notice of intended prosecution has been served to the driver in relation to the investigation. In terms of alcohol, a toxicology report would shed light as it relates to the victim, and I do not believe one was extracted from the driver of the other vehicle.”

The post Motorist Killed in Collision in Roaring Creek first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Sixty‑eight‑year‑old Houston Reynolds lost his life in Maya Center after a vehicle ran him over along the Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway. That stretch of road is dangerously dark at night; whole sections have no streetlights at all, leaving drivers with almost zero visibility. But darkness wasn’t the only factor. Reports to News Five say Reynolds was also under the influence of alcohol at the time, adding another layer to this tragic situation.

                             Stacy Smith

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer

“The fatal accident occurred at approximately seven-fifteen p.m. between miles thirteen and fourteen on the Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway in southern Belize. The investigation commenced when Hopkins police were alerted to the incident and they responded to the scene where they observed the motionless body of Mr. Reynolds along with a damaged beach cruiser. Initial investigation suggests that Reynolds was riding his bicycle and is reported to have fallen off and a truck being driven by Leonardo came and that resulted in Mr. Reynolds being ran over, leading to his untimely demise. I know what has been included in the report is that prior to Mr. Reynolds departing he was at a bar in the area I believe.”

Reynolds’ longtime friend, Algin Logan, told News Five that villagers found Reynolds sleeping on the highway before the incident and tried to move him to safety.

                             Algin Logan

Algin Logan, Friend of Deceased

“I never know nothing until my cousin come around and said they knock down somebody. I never know dah who. He said he will find out. So he went. When the man come back he said dah Tall B, Houston. He said, he was drinking by the Chinese. From there we went to the bar across the road and asked for three beers, share his beers, one for him, one for the next man. The man mih done drunk. So they led him across the board bridge and the man cross and from there took the road coming down. When the friend that was with him gone home and get the news he come out back and gone check. When he get there it was the man for true, Houston, Tall B. The night, because dah seven o’clock deh knock ah. Let’s say about six thirty he was on the road. After he got up from there he continues down the road. He come further, put down his bike and laid down on the road.”

One villager who lives along the highway, directly in front of where a truck ran over Reynolds, says that she heard a loud noise just outside her home. She was among the first responders at the scene.

         Voice of: Maya Center Resident

Voice of: Maya Center Resident

“We the lay down when we hear like something buss. We come outside and say maybe something drop from a truck. But at the same time, my common law gone and my father gone and that is right where they saw the accident. They saw the man laying down in the middle of the road. From earlier they tried to move him. Maybe he come back home. I don’t know maybe he was coming from Kendall and going home and that is right there where he got in the accident. Yes it is dangerous, worst when you going to Kendall. It is hard. You cant see nothing.”

Reynolds’ intoxication, combined with the near‑total darkness on that stretch of highway, proved fatal. But beyond the circumstances of his death, his longtime friend Algin Logan says he’s simply mourning the loss of someone he shared decades of friendship with. The two, both getting up in age, often joked about who would outlive the other.

Algin Logan

“Love a liquor. He would drink everyday if he could afford it. He just get pay Friday evening and the night he dead. We were friends for may years. He lived here in a thatch house he build. He moved from there and went further back to live in another thatch house and moved again, until he went up the river. Well its just one of those things. We cant do nothing. No more advice. Its just that, one friend gone.”

Reynolds was originally from Sittee River. He spent most of his days farming and selling his produce. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

The post Highway Tragedy: Elderly Pedestrian Run Over first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

                  Stacy Smith

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer

“Police are investigating an apparent traffic accident which resulted in the death of twenty-eight-year-old Jesse Palacio. Of Mullins River Village in Stann Creek District. This incident occurred sometime around 10:40 p.m. on Sunday, eight February, 2026. The investigation commenced on the aforementioned date and time when police were alerted of the presence of an injured Mr. Palacio on the Mullins River Road. The officers responded and upon their arrival, they observed Mr. Palacio who exhibited injuries to the face and body, and on the scene was a scooter which showed signs of damages. Palacio was transported to the Southern Regional Hospital for treatment. However, he succumbed to the injuries he sustained sometime around eleven o’ clock p.m.”

Reporter

“Was alcohol involve again.”

ASP Stacy Smith

“The toxicology report will have to shed more light as it relates to that inquiry.”

And as investigators wait on the toxicology report, police say they’re still working to pinpoint exactly what led to the crash that claimed Jesse Palacio’s life.

The post  Mullins River Motorcyclist Dies After Crash first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

Jessy “Cat” Palacios was found on the side of the dirt road with visible injuries. A black scooter was nearby, along with a parked trailer. Emergency personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident.

Community members expressed condolences online, remembering Palacios as ambitious and hard-working. One resident wrote, “You were on the right path… Another Pomona soldier gone. Condolences to the family.”

The post Pomona Village Barber Dies in Motorcycle Accident first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Eighteen-year-old Miguel Montoya was just a few minutes away from his home in Ladyville where his father was waiting for him to return home from work. Montoya never made it home. Police say the eighteen‑year‑old motorcyclist was killed in a collision with a tow‑head truck this morning, according to Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith.

                      Stacy Smith

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer

“Police are investigating a fatal traffic accident that claimed the life of eighteen-year-old Luis Miguel Noel Montoya. Which occurred at approximately nine thirty a.m. on Monday second February, 2026, between miles ten and eleven on the Phillip Goldstone Highway.”

Smith explains that Montoya was turning into his street at the time of the collision. Although he had been wearing a helmet, the impact was intense and Montoya succumbed to his injuries on the scene.

ASP Stacy Smith

“What the investigation has shown so far is that Montoya is alleged to have been seeking to make a left turn off the highway, and at that time, a freight truck, which was traveling in the same direction sought to overtake the motorcycle and this resulted in a collision and the untimely passing of Mr. Montoya. The driver of that vehicle has since been served with a notice of intended prosecution.”

After hearing what had happened, Montoya’s family quickly made their way to the scene. His uncle, Alberto Montoya, remains in a state of shock as they struggle to process the news.

                   Alberto Montoya

Alberto Montoya, Uncle of Deceased

“When I get to know, my brother came to my house and tell me that his son dead out ya, so he drive for me. I couldn’t even drive. So when we get here, we see the body down there ad the cycle.”

Montoya worked at a factory nearby and was on his way home when the collision occurred. His uncle remembers him as a good kid and says his death came far too early.

Alberto Montoya

“He’s coming from work to home and it look like the truck was not even, he was over taking, knock him and nearly knock some other who was lady was standing over there. And did he died on impact.”

The family is reminding motorists to drive carefully on the highway; however, they believe more can be done to protect these riders. Montoya says the location of the incident is particularly dangerous and believes the government should construct a speedbump nearby.

Alberto Montoya

“Should because others weh drive cars and then things in no respect cycles, they just overtake and knock them down and kill them.”

Miguel Montoya lived between Orange Walk and Belize District as he often travelled to spend time with both his parents.

Alberto Montoya

“The only thing we could have made one see him back, but we can’t see him no more.”

Police have not yet laid charges against the truck driver but have issued him a notice of intended prosecution. Britney Gordon for News Five.

The post 18-year-old Motorist Killed Riding Home from Work first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

                            Stacy Smith

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer

“Police have formerly arrested in charge Juan Carlos Estrada Parado, a thirty-year-old Guatemala national of Santa Cruz Village for the crimes of manslaughter by negligence and causing death by careless conduct and the offenses of drove motor vehicle without drew care and attention, failing to report an accident and failing to stop and render aid. Whilst the investigators were processing the scene intelligence was obtained in relation to a vehicle of interest that was seen in the Punta Gorda jurisdiction, and that information was relayed to police officers in Punta Gorda. The officers intercepted a Hino brand pickup truck at the dump in Punta Gorda and on board that vehicle were Prada, as well as two other male persons. And an inspection of that vehicle showed signs of damage and apparent blood.”

 Shane Williams

“Will the other occupants of the vehicle be charged as well?”

ASP Stacy Smith

“Certainly we have tasked the person in responsible for the traffic section of the department to see what, if any, charges can be brought against the others because as you would know, they were suspected to have been on board the vehicle at that time of the accident, and they in fact had duty to report such accident.”

Police say they’re taking a firm stance after a hit-and-run on the Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway killed Special Constable Marcos Acal, with a Guatemalan truck driver now charged and investigators weighing possible action against the two passengers who were with him that night.

The post Guatemalan Arrested for Hit and Run of PC Marcos Acal first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

The data shows sharp reductions in deadly crashes, with the Northern Region falling by 31 percent, the Western Region by 22 percent, the Southern Region by 31 percent, and the Eastern Region by 15 percent. Officials credited stronger traffic enforcement and public awareness campaigns for the nationwide decline.

Overall, traffic fatalities fell from 126 deaths in 2024 to 94 in 2025, a decrease of 32 cases.

Despite the overall decline in traffic deaths, motorcycles remain the vehicles most frequently involved in fatal crashes, accounting for 38 percent of all cases.

The Police Department urged all Belizeans to obey traffic laws and exercise caution to help maintain public safety on the country’s roads.

The post Motorcycles Account for 38% of Road Deaths in 2025 first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

                     Stacy Smith

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer

“ What the investigation has so far suggested is that Cus was traveling on his motorcycle to Belize City when he lost control and collided into a metal lamppost that is located in the, on the median in the highway.  PC Cus has been a serving member of the Belize Police Department for just over four years, and the loss of Mr. Cus is certainly mourned by the ministry as well as the department. Though he has only amassed four years of service, by all indications, he was a very dedicated uncommitted police officer.”

The post Police Mourn Constable Killed in Highway Crash first appeared on Greater Belize Media.